Maggie Smith and Judy Dench: peers, girlfriends, ladies-commanders of Great Britain and world famous actresses

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

These two ladies, appearing on the screen, easily manage to overshadow the brilliance of young stars. In addition to James Bond and Harry Potter, they have dozens of roles that have won many awards, including one of the most important - the royal recognition of merit in the acting profession. Maggie Smith and Judy Dench are the same age, and both, at eighty-four, continue to conclude new contracts for shooting and release new films - despite their age, there is no question of retirement.

Judy Dench

Judy Dench (Judith Olivia Dench) was born on December 9, 1934 in York. Her father was a doctor, in addition to his own practice, he worked at the York Royal Theater, where he met Judy's mother.

Since childhood, Judy dreamed of becoming an artist, but after she attended a theatrical production of King Lear with the participation of Michael Redgrave, she realized that her vocation was acting. For the very first time she appeared on stage at the age of five, when she played a snail in a school play and had to silently "crawl" across the stage in a suit. And the real theatrical debut took place at the age of 22, when she played Ophelia on the stage of the Old Vic Theater. In the years to come, she will play Shakespearean roles one after the other and will earn a reputation as a talented and promising young actress.

Already in 1964, she played her first film role, but filming for a long time remained a secondary matter for Dench, her main focus was on the theater. She was a huge success, was recognized by critics and audiences as one of the best dramatic actresses of her time.

Dench married actor Michael Williams at thirty-five after years of strong friendship. In this marriage, a daughter, Tara Cressida (Finti), was born, and Judy adjusted her career to the baby's daily routine: after putting her to bed in the evening, she went to the play. When Finty grew up and started school, Dench began working daytime television shows.

Judy Dench gained worldwide fame after the release of another Bond film, Golden Eye, in 1995. The rather unexpected role of the head of the British intelligence service was brilliantly played by her, not without a slight irony over her own image, which perfectly complemented the image of M. Dench, which the audience liked - but, incidentally, it was familiar to her.

In 1997, Judy Dench took part in the filming of the film Her Majesty Mrs Brown. Originally conceived as a television project, it was bought by Harvey Weinstein and released in theaters, after which Judi Dench was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards.

Dench has starred in seven James Bond films in total, the last of them - "007: Skyfall" - was released in 2012. But Dench's film career was not limited to Bond - the actress played in many other films that brought her prestigious film awards, including " Oscar "- for a supporting role in the film" Shakespeare in Love ". For various films, Dench received a total of six BAFTA awards - the highest award of the British Film Academy, four more were awarded to her for her work in television series.

Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith (Margaret Natalie Smith) was born on December 28, 1934 - the same month as her colleague and friend. She grew up in the family of a professor at Oxford University and graduated from this educational institution herself. There she first appeared on stage. Her repertoire included a significant number of classical Shakespearean plays, as well as roles based on the plays of Chekhov. Quite early, critics began to note the actress's ability to quickly move "from comedy to tragedy" - sometimes within a single phrase. Characters performed by Maggie Smith acquired depth and versatility, her characteristic appearance contributed to the creation of bright, unforgettable images.

In 1967, Maggie Smith married Sir Robert Stevens, the famous British actor, gave birth to two sons - Chris Larkin and Toby Stevens. The latter will play the role of a villain in one of the Bond films “Die Another Day,” where he also played Judy Dench. In 1975, Maggie Smith and Robert Stevens divorced, and almost immediately thereafter, she married Beverly Cross, a playwright.

In the movie, the actress also starred quite a bit, giving preference to the theater. In 1958, she starred in the film "Nowhere to Go". Othello's Desdemona earned her an Oscar nomination, and she received her first gold statuette in 1970 for her role in Miss Jean Brodie's Blossom. The second will be awarded to Maggie Smith nine years later for the film "California Hotel".

But the real fame, perhaps, brought the actress participation in the Harry Potter films, where she played the role of Minerva McGonagall. In 2010, the actress was cast as Violet Crowley, Countess Dowager Grantham, in the television series Downton Abbey. Her character became almost the most charismatic and popular, despite the fact that the cast was already stellar, and the quotes of the Countess, uttered in the unique, mesmerizing voice of Maggie Smith, are quite worthy of being published in a separate book.

Girlfriends

Both actresses are connected not only by the fact that each managed to build a brilliant career, achieve dozens of different awards and recognition all over the world. Maggie Smith and Judy Dench are close friends, each has the title of lady - the female counterpart of the knightly. Both outlived their husbands - and both dealt with grief by completely immersing themselves in work.

Judy Dench suffers from a genetic disease due to which she loses her eyesight - it is currently difficult for her to read scripts and has to memorize them by ear. Maggie Smith was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, but she refused to interrupt the shooting - in the next film about Harry Potter - while undergoing treatment in parallel with work; the disease was defeated.

Among their filmography, there are also common film projects - those in which both actresses starred. This is "A Room with a View", a film for which both actresses were noted with awards and nominations, "Tea", "Ladies in Purple" and released in 2012 "Hotel" Marigold. The best of the exotic."

Judy Dench is the patron of dozens of charitable foundations, Maggie Smith is also actively involved in social projects and helping animal protection organizations. “I don’t say the words 'old age, retirement',” admits Judi Dench, who believes that once she stops, she is unlikely to be able to start over, and therefore continues to work. Despite her health problems, both she and Maggie Smith seem to have no plans to end their film and television careers.

In the fall of 2019, the film version of Downton Abbey will be released with Maggie Smith as Violet Crowley. Dench recently starred in the film adaptation of the musical Cats. And the next year, 2020, will give movie lovers several projects, in the filming of which the actresses are currently involved.

Despite the emergence of more and more British movie stars, these two legends of the theatrical stage and the movie screen were and remain among the main and favorite actresses of foggy Albion. It is impossible to overshadow them, just as it is impossible to overshadow the English queen, another lady who does not recognize either pension or old age.