History Creator / JudiDench

[[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Dame]] Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench (born 9 December 1934 in Heworth, England) is an award-winning English actress and right up there with Creator/HelenMirren, Creator/EmmaThompson and Creator/MaggieSmith[[note]]a lifelong close friend[[/note]] in terms of being completely awesome. 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 "[[Characters/JamesBondM M]]" in the ''Film/JamesBond'' series.

* 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 actress playing Jean (i.e., herself) is quite good.

[[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Dame]] Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench (born December 9, 1934 in Heworth, England) is an award-winning English actress and right up there with Creator/HelenMirren, Creator/EmmaThompson and Creator/MaggieSmith[[note]]a lifelong close friend[[/note]] in terms of being completely awesome. 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 "[[Characters/JamesBondM M]]" in the ''Film/JamesBond'' series.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Film/JamesBond I am very disappointed in you 007!]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AngelinaBallerina''

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/judi-dench_5143.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:[[Film/JamesBond I am very disappointed in you 007!]]]]

[[UsefulNotes/KnightFever Dame]] Judith Olivia "Judi" Dench (born December 9, 1934) is an award-winning English actress and right up there with Creator/HelenMirren, Creator/EmmaThompson and Creator/MaggieSmith[[note]]a lifelong close friend[[/note]] in terms of being completely awesome. 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 "[[Characters/JamesBondM M]]" in the ''Film/JamesBond'' series.

** ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006''

While it has come to light that her eyesight is failing, 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. An internet hoax circulated in October 2015 that Judi Dench had died. Some news providers were taken in and published tributes and obituaries of her life. Read more '''[[http://en.mediamass.net/people/judi-dench/deathhoax.html here]]'''.

Fortunately, as of 2018, Judi Dench is not dead and is still acting. She has, most recently, appeared as a princess in the 2017 version of ''{{Film/Murder on the Orient Express|2017}}'' with Creator/KennethBranagh. She's also ''very scary.''

* ''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/JohMills.

* ''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.

* ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'' -- Playing an [[GenderFlip originally male role]].

* HandicappedBadass: She doesn't see her steadily going blind as any reason to stop acting.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Stories were circulated on the Internet in October 2015 falsely stating she had died. Ms. Dench herself has since put out an official statement to the effect that she is still here and hopes to be present in the world for some time yet.

* ''{{Hamlet}}'' (1996)

* ''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.

WordOfGod says she [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons DM's for her grandkids]], which is [[JustForFun/MadeOfWin made of so much ridiculous awesome and win]]. 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 one of his films so they could play the game together.

* ''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 [[Creator/OliviaColman by the actress]] who played her maid when she did have to walk.

* OneOfUs: She regularly [=DMs=] ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaigns for her grandchildren.
** Which, again, deserves to be repeated: ''[[HolyShitQuotient Dame Judi Dench [=DMs=] D&D games.]]''
*** Not so bad being a nerd is it? Judi Dench is one of us.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: She's well-known for playing IceQueen characters, perhaps most famously her time as M, but in real life she's a kindly, mellow, and down to earth person. Several of her younger costars including Creator/DanielCraig have joked that she acts as everybody's adopted grandmother during productions.