There is nothing like a dame

What follows are various pictures of Dame Judi Dench (DJD) from various performances throughout her career.

These pictures come from The Oxford Illustrated History of Shakespeare On Stage ed. Jonathan Bate and Russell Jackson. Oxford University Press, 1996, 2001. My copy just arrived in the mail. Find the book. Buy it. Love it.

There's also a delightful article written by DJD about her experiences.

(Unrelated Note: I've had a mind-crush on Russell Jackson since hearing him speak last year. He is charming and funny and terribly brilliant and used to be the guy at the Shakespeare Institute. Also my mind-crush might meld into a real crush because he is British and wears tweed and (I think) has glasses. And then we'll get married.)




DJD as Ophelia with John Neville as Hamlet. Old Vic, 1957, dir. by Michael Benthall
(Bristol University Theatre Collection, photograph by Angus McBean)







DJD with John Stride as Romeo and Juliet at the Old Vic, 1960. dir by Franco Zeffirelli (Bristol University Theatre Collection)




DJD as Viola in Twelfth Night at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 1969. with Charles Thomas as Orsino, directed by John Barton
(Shakespeare Centre, photograph by Joe Cocks)





Hermione in The Winter's Tale, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, directed by Trevor Nunn, 1969.
Dench also appeared as Perdita in this production. (Apparently there was fascinating body-doubling during the last scene in order to pull off the end of the play).
(Shakespeare Centre, photograph by Joe Cocks)



DJD as Beatrice with Donald Sinden as Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing, Royal Shakespeare Theatre, 1976 dir. by John Barton
(Shakespeare Centre, photograph by Joe Cocks)




DJD and Anthony Hopkins as Antony and Cleopatra, National Theatre, 1987, directed by Peter Hall. (photograph by John Haynes)