Although this Britain-born actress doesn't boast conventional Hollywood beauty, her rebellious attitude, remarkable versatility, palpable sensuality and frequent nude scenes have turned her into the thinking man's sex symbol. In the '60s, she started out in the theater, earning critical acclaim for her interpretations of classic characters, including the Egyptian queen in Shakespeare's
Antony and Cleopatra, a role she would embody two more times during her career. While she worked consistently in her homeland, she didn't become known Stateside until the '80s, with her eye-catching performances as a gangster's girlfriend in
The Long Good Friday and the deliciously evil Morgana in
Excalibur opposite her then-boyfriend Liam Neeson. She tapped into her Russian heritage as a ballet star behind the Iron Curtain in
White Nights and ended up dancing away with the director, Taylor Hackford, who became her boyfriend and later, her husband. But her career really took off in 1990 when she snagged her seminal role as Detective Inspector Jane Tennison in the first of seven installments of the
Prime Suspect TV franchise. Intelligent, intense, sexy and flawed, the character allowed Mirren to go from domineering to devastated, and every adjective in between, and netted her three consecutive BAFTA awards, plus an Emmy. In the '90s, Mirren, who had always appeared in offbeat projects, notably the sexually charged films
Caligula and
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, began choosing more mainstream fare, earning two Oscar nods for a pair of "veddy" British films,
The Madness of King George and
Gosford Park (even though the latter was helmed by American Robert Altman). She continued to work consistently on both sides of the Atlantic, returning to her risqué routes with the 2003 comedy
Calendar Girls, which featured the 58-year-old actress in some provocative poses. In addition, she racked up two more Emmys (in the title roles of
The Passion of Ayn Rand and
Elizabeth I), and a pair of Golden Globes and two SAG Awards for her performances in the TV-movie
Elizabeth I and the feature film
The Queen, portraying Queen Elizabeth I and II, respectively. Her uncanny channeling of Elizabeth II also earned her a long overdue accolade: a best-actress Oscar.
Helen Mirren Fast Facts:
- Frustrated with her career in her twenties, she visited a hand reader who said the height of her success wouldn't happen for another 20 years. He was right.
- Called her Prime Suspect role "the biggest break of my career."
- Made her directorial debut by helming the "Happy Birthday" segment of the 2001 TV-movie On the Edge.
- In the 2002 TV-movie Door to Door, she played William H. Macy's mother even though he's only five years her junior.
- Named Dame of the British Empire in 2003.
- Nominted for three 2007 Golden Globes for her performances in Elizabeth I, The Queen and Prime Suspect: The Final Act. She won statuettes for the first two, portraying Queen Elizabeth I and II, respectively.
- Helen Mirren Relationships:
- Alexander Hackford - Stepson
- Basil Mirren - Father
- Katherine Mirren - Sister
- Liam Neeson - Ex-significant Other
- Peter Mirren - Brother
- Rio Hackford - Stepson
- Taylor Hackford - Husband
- Helen Mirren Awards:
- 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 1999 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Winner
- 2003 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Winner
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Winner
- 1994 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1994 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1994 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1994 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1996 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress for a Miniseries or a Special - Winner
- 2002 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Nominee
- 1997 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Winner
- 2000 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2004 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2004 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Winner
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - Winner
- 2006 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role - Winner
- 1994 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 2001 Oscar: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Nominee
- 1995 Tony: Actress (Play) - Nominee
- 2002 Tony: Actress (Play) - Nominee
- 1993 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1993 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1993 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1993 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Winner
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Winner
- 1997 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
- 1997 Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Special - Nominee
