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->''"It is true that there are few plays of Shakespeare that I haven't done."''
-->-- '''Judi Dench'''

[[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Dame]] Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench (born 9 December 1934 in Heworth, England) is an English actress often ranked among the grandes dames of the English stage alongside Creator/VanessaRedgrave, Creator/HelenMirren, Creator/EmmaThompson and Creator/MaggieSmith[[note]]who is actually a lifelong close friend of hers[[/note]]. While she previously worked mostly in theater -- notably with the Creator/RoyalShakespeareCompany -- she has become more prominent as a movie actress since she took on the role of "M", the chief of [=MI6=] and Film/JamesBond's boss, starting with ''Film/GoldenEye''. She ended up the second-most prolific actor in the role with eight appearances in the film series, the first being Creator/BernardLee at eleven.

She's also famous for winning the [[MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestActressInASupportingRole Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] for her role in ''Film/ShakespeareInLove'', where she arguably [[OneSceneWonder stole the film]] with a grand total of ''nine minutes'' of screen time as UsefulNotes/ElizabethI. Ironically, she had previously been nominated for [[MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestActressInALeadingRole Best Actress]] for playing UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria in ''Mrs Brown'', losing to Creator/HelenHunt.

Ofcom, who handle complaints about television shows in the UK, sometimes refer to the "Judi Dench effect", noting that any swearword spoken by Judi Dench will result in more complaints than the same swearword spoken by anyone else. This is kind of ironic because, in her role as everyone's favorite cool auntie, she seems perfectly comfortable unleashing the occasional PrecisionFStrike when necessary.

WordOfGod says Dench [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons DMs for her grandkids]]; once word of this got out, no self-respecting geek would call her anything less than "Dame Judi Dench". Creator/VinDiesel actually pushed to have her in ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' just so they could play the game together[[note]]He was so grateful for the experience that he sent her fresh flowers throughout the production[[/note]].

While it came to light around 2012 that her eyesight is failing (she has age-related macular degeneration - AMD) , Dench is adamant that she has no plans to quit acting. In addition to her acting work, she serves on the advisory board of the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, Virginia, co-founded by her friend Dr. Ralph Alan Cohen. She is also one of a small and incredibly privileged number of people to have read published obituaries -- to themselves -- whilst still alive.

Referred to by Roman, from ''Sanders Sides'', as "Queen Groovy Binch".

Fun fact: the ringtone on her phone is the ''Film/JamesBond'' theme. Apparently, it often went off in her scenes in the Bond movies.
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!!Dame Judi Dench's films include:
* ''Film/AStudyInTerror'' (1965)
* ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'' (1968) -- in which she appears in a {{Stripperific}} outfit of green body paint and pasties. Really.
* ''Literature/ARoomWithAView'' (1985)
* ''Film/{{Henry V|1989}}'' (1989) -- Mistress Quickly
* ''Film/JamesBond'' as M [[note]]named Barbara Mawdsley in the Creator/PierceBrosnan era and Olivia Mansfield in the Creator/DanielCraig era[[/note]]
** ''Film/GoldenEye'' (1995)
** ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'' (1997)
** ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'' (1999)
** ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' (2002)
** ''Film/{{Casino Royale|2006}}'' (2006)
** ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' (2008)
** ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' (2012)
** ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' (2015 [[note]]M left VideoWills for Bond to see after her death, kicking off the plot[[/note]])
* ''Film/{{Hamlet}}'' (1996)
* ''Mrs Brown'' -- Earnt her an MediaNotes/AcademyAward nomination for Best Actress.
* ''Film/ShakespeareInLove'' -- OneSceneWonder that earned her the MediaNotes/AcademyAward for Best Supporting Actress
* ''Film/IntoTheArmsOfStrangersStoriesOfTheKindertransport'' (2000) -- documentary narrator
* '' Literature/TheShippingNews''
* ''Film/NotesOnAScandal'' -- Third MediaNotes/AcademyAward nomination.
* ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' -- [[QuestionableCasting Was cast because]] Creator/VinDiesel was apparently a huge fan of hers, and begged her to take the part. In-between shooting, she DM'd for Diesel, Creator/KarlUrban, and Creator/ThandiweNewton.
* ''Film/MrsHendersonPresents''
* ''Film/TheBestExoticMarigoldHotel''
* ''Film/{{Philomena}}'' --Fourth MediaNotes/AcademyAward nomination
* ''Film/MissPeregrinesHomeForPeculiarChildren''
* ''Film/MurderOnTheOrientExpress2017'' -- At this point her failing eyesight has reached the point [[WrittenInInfirmity where she spent most of the movie sitting down]], and her being led around by Creator/OliviaColman, who played her maid, when she did have to walk.
* ''Film/VictoriaAndAbdul'' (2017)
* ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'' -- Playing an [[GenderFlip originally male role]]. She was intended to play Grizabella in the original 1981 production but suffered a serious hamstring injury. And interestingly enough, the previous film adaptation in 1998 also featured a severely visually impaired actor in Creator/JohnMills.
* ''Film/OffTheRails2021''
* ''Film/{{Belfast}}''.

!!Her TV work includes:
* ''Series/ZCars'': One of her first roles was as a GirlOfTheWeek.
* ''Series/AsTimeGoesBy''
* ''WesternAnimation/AngelinaBallerina'' (Miss Lilly)
* ''Series/AFineRomance''
* ''Series/{{Cranford}}'' and its sequel ''Return to Cranford''
* A Creator/{{BBC}} rendition of ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', playing Lady [=Macbeth=] opposite Sir Creator/IanMcKellen
* [[Theatre/HenryV Princess Katherine]] in ''An Age of Kings''
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!! Tropes:

* ButHeSoundsHandsome: One promo for ''As Time Goes By'' was her and Geoffery Palmer's characters deciding to watch ''As Time Goes By''. She comments that the actor playing Jean (i.e., herself) is quite good.
* CoolOldLady: She can manifest the trope without breaking sweat.
* DeathGlare: One so effective that it even cows Franchise/JamesBond, who otherwise has problems deferring to people in authority (even men).
* GrandeDame: She seems to have cornered the market in smart or downright dangerous versions of the trope; her M is just one example.
* HandicappedBadass: Nearly blind at this point, has no intention of slowing down or stopping working.
* IronLady: A master of these characters, most notably as M and Queen Elizabeth.
* PlayingAgainstType: Judi is one of a small select club of women who have participated in panel comedy gameshow ''Radio/ImSorryIHaventAClue''.
* ShakespearianActors: Where she started. And while her repertoire has broadened considerably over the years, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_X1dbO-quI she is still one of the all-time greats]].
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