Helen’s autobiography In the Frame was published by Orion Books in the UK (ISBN 978-0-7538-2434-4) and Simon & Schuster in the US (ISBN 978-1-4165-6760-8).  Helen Mirren is one of the best known and most respected actresses with an international career that spans stage, screen and television and has won many awards for her powerful and versatile performances, including the Academy Award in 2007 for her performance in The Queen. 

Theatre – Helen began her career playing Cleopatra with the National Youth Theatre.   She then appeared in rep in Manchester and from there she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.  After four notable years at the RSC Helen took a complete change of direction, when she went to work with renowned director Peter Brook’s theatre company Centre de Recherche Théâtral and toured Africa and America.  Since then her theatre work has spanned numerous productions in the West End, the Fringe, the RSC, the National Theatre and Broadway in the US including A Month in the Country, for which she received a Tony nomination and The Dance of Death on Broadway opposite Ian McKellan. Subsequent productions include Orpheus Descending at the Donmar Warehouse and Mourning Becomes Electra at the National Theatre for which she was nominated for an Olivier Best Actress Award. She returned to the National Theatre in 2009 in the title role of Racine’s Phèdre directed by Nicholas Hytner.  This made history when it became the first theatre production to be filmed for NTLive and seen in cinemas throughout the world.  In her most recent performance in 2013 in London’s West End, she reprised her role of Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience by Peter Morgan and directed by Stephen Daldry. She won an Olivier Award and a What’s On Stage award for Best Actress. In February 2015 The Audience transferred to the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York with Helen Mirren still in the title role, for which she won the Tony Awards for Best Actress.

Film – Helen’s film career began with Michael Powell’s Age of Consent and other early work included Caligula, but her breakthrough role came in John Mackenzie’s The Long Good Friday. Helen continued to make films throughout the 80s including Excaliber, Cal (Best Actress award at Cannes Film Festival), White Nights (directed by Taylor Hackford, her husband), Mosquito Coast and in 1989 Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover.  She earned her first Academy Award nomination for her performance as Queen Charlotte inThe Madness of King George and her second for her role as the housekeeper in Robert Altman’s Gosford Park. Helen’s most celebrated role was as Elizabeth II in Stephen Frear’s The Queen for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and numerous other awards throughout the world. In recent years she has starred in Calendar Girls, The Clearing, Shadowboxer, State of Play, The Last Station (for which she received another Best Actress Academy Award nomination together with a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Countess Sofya Tolstoy), Love Ranch (directed by Taylor Hackford), The Tempest, Red, Arthur, Brighton Rock and The Debt.  2013 saw the release of Hitchcock where Helen played Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville to Anthony Hopkins Hitchcock (her performance was nominated for a Golden Globe and a BAFTA). She reprised her role as the retired British spy Victoria in RED2 with Bruce Willis and John Malkovich and voiced the character Dean Hardscrabble for Disney/Pixar’s Monster’s University.  In 2014 Helen starred in The Hundred-Foot Journey, directed by Lasse Hallstrom where she played a French restauranteur.  In 2015 she starred with Ryan Reynolds in Woman In Gold, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and a SAG award. The film was based on the true story of Maria Altmann and her struggle to get back her family’s painting looted by the Nazis.  Helen then played Hedda Hopper alongside Bryan Cranston in Trumbo directed by Jay Roach for which she was nominated for both a Golden Globe and SAG award.  2018 saw the release of Winchester, a ghost story based on true events, co-starring Jason Clarke, The Leisure Seeker with Donald Sutherland, The Nutcracker And The Four Realms, Universal’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw and Lionsgate’s Anna. Helen was then seen in Saban Films’ Berlin: I Love You, following that she starred with Ian McKellen in The Good Liar and then the voice of the narrator in the documentary Anne Frank: Parallel Stories.  Most recently she voiced the character of Snickers in Disney’s The One And Only Ivan and Fast And Furious 9 playing ‘Queenie’, she also appeared as an interview contributor in the documentary On Broadway.  Helen’s most recent film projects can be found under Current Projects on this site.

Television – Helen’s first leading role in television was as Cousin Bette for the BBC in the 70’s  Other BBC work at that time included The Changeling, The Philanthropist and the outstanding 1979 production of Denis Potter’s Blue Remembered Hills.  However it was in the award-winning series Prime Suspect as DCI Jane Tennison that Helen became a household name in television. Written by Lynda La Plante as a single TV drama it spawned another 4 series in the 90s.  Helen reprised the role in 2003 and the final Prime Suspect was released in 2006, bringing this iconic role to its conclusion and for which she won an Emmy for Best Actress.  During the ‘intermission’ from Prime Suspect Helen starred in a number of award winning US TV productions including Losing Chase, Ayn Rand and The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone. Her performance in the television role in Elizabeth I won her an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Best Actress.  Her most recent television role was in David Mamet’s Phil Spector for HBO Films where she starred alongside Al Pacino as Spector’s lawyer Linda Kenney Baden.  For this role she won a SAG award for Best Actress and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Helen’s latest television project is Catherine The Great for SKY/HBO and Solo’s for Amazon Prime, please see Current Projects for more information.

Helen Mirren was appointed a Dame of the British Empire in 2003.

Film (Date) Role

Fast X (2022) Queenie *tbr
Golda: (2021) Golda Meir *tbr
Shazam: Fury Of The Gods (2021) Hespera *tbr
Escape From Extinction (2021) Narrator

On Broadway (2021) Interview contributor
White Bird: A Wonder Story (2021) Grandmère *tbr
The Duke (2021) Dorothy
Fast and Furious 9 (2020) Queenie
The One And Only Ivan (2020) Snickers
Anne Frank: Parallel  (2019) Narrator
The Good Liar (2019) Betty
Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019) Magdalene
Anna (2017) Olga
Berlin: I Love You (2017) Margaret
Winchester (2017) Sarah Winchester
The Nutcracker And The Four Realms (2017) Mother Ginger
The Leisure Seeker (2016) Ella
The Fate Of The Furious (2016) Guest Appearance
Collateral Beauty (2016) Brigitte
Eye In The Sky (2015) Col. Katherine Powell
Trumbo (2015) Hedda Hopper
Woman In Gold (2014) Maria Altmann
The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014) Madame Mallory
Monster’s University (2013) Dean Hardscrabble
RED 2 (2013) Victoria Winslow
Hitchcock (2012) Alma Reville
The Door (2012) Emerence
The Debt (2011) Rachel Singer
Arthur (2011) Hobson
Brighton Rock (2011) Ida
RED (2010) Victoria
The Tempest (2010) Prospera
Love Ranch (2010) Grace Bontempo
The Last Station (2009) Sofya Tolstoy
State of Play (2008) Cameron Lynne
Inkheart (2007) Elinor Loredan
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) Emily Appleton
The Queen (2005) Elizabeth II
Shadowboxer (2005) Rose
The Clearing (2004) Eileen Hayes
Raising Helen (2004) Dominique
Calendar Girls (2002) Chrissie
Gosford Park (2001) Mrs. Wilson
Last Orders (2001) Amy Dodds
The Pledge (2001) Doctor
Monster aka No Such Thing (2001) The Boss
Greenfingers (2001) Georgina Woodhouse
Teaching Mrs Tingle (1999) Mrs Tingle
Critical Care (1997) Stella
Some Mother’s Son (1996) Kathleen Quigley
The Snow Queen (1995), The Snow Queen
The Madness of King George (1994) Queen Charlotte
The Prince of Jutland (1994) Getruth
The Hawk (1993) Anne Marsh
Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991) Lilia Herriton
The Comfort of Strangers (1990) Caroline
Bethune, Making of a Hero (1990) Francis Penny Bethune
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) Georgina Spica
Pascali’s Island (1989) Lydia Neuman
When The Whales Came (1988) Clemmie Jenkins
Mosquito Coast (1986) Mother Fox
Heavenly Pursuits (1985) Ruth Chancellor
White Knights (1985) Galina Ivanova
2010 (1984) Tanya Kirbuk
CAL (1984) Marcella
Excalibur (1981) Morgana
The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Man Chu (1980) Alice Rage
The Long Good Friday (1980) Victoria
Hussy (1980) Beaty
Caligula (1979) Caesonia
O Lucky Man (1973) Patricia
Savage Messiah (1972) Gosh Boyle
Age of Consent (1969) Cora Ryan
1968 A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968) Hermia
Herostratus (1967) Advert Woman

*tbr = to be released

Play (Date) Role, Theatre
The Audience (2015) Schoenfeld Theatre, NY
The Audience (2013) Queen Elizabeth II, Gielgud Theatre
Phedre (2009) Phedre, National Theatre
Mourning Becomes Electra (2003) Christine, National Theatre
Dance of Death (2001) Alice, Broadway
Orpheus Descending (2000) Lady, Donmar Warehouse
Collected Stories (1999) Ruth Steiner, Haymarket Theatre
Anthony and Cleopatra (1998) Cleopatra, National Theatre
A Month in the Country (1994) Natalya Petrovna, Roundabout Theatre, NY
A Month in the Country (1994) Natalya Petrovna, Albery Theatre
Sex Please We’re Italian (1991) The Young Vic
Two-Way Mirror (1989) Angela, The Young Vic
Madame Bovary (1987) Madame Bovary, Watford Palace
The Roaring Girl (1984) Moll Cutpurse, Barbican Theatre
Extremities (1984) Marjorie, Duchess Theatre
Anthony and Cleopatra (1982) Cleopatra, RSC
Faith Healer (1981) Gracie, Royal Court/The Roundhouse
The Duchess of Malfi (1980) Title role, Royal Exchange
Measure for Measure (1979) Isabella, Riverside
Henry VI (1977) Margaret, RSC
The Seagull (1975) Nina, Lyric Theatre / Lindsay
The Bed Before Yesterday (1975) Ella, Anderson Company
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles (1975) Maggie, Royal Court & Wyndhams
Macbeth (1974) Lady Macbeth, RSC
Man of Mode (1971) Harriet, RSC
The Balcony (1971) Elayne, RSC
Enemies (1971) Tatyana, RSC
Hamlet (1970) Ophelia, RSC
Two Gentlemen of Verona (1970) Julia, RSC
Richard III (1970) Lady Anne, RSC
Bartholomew Fair (1969) Mrs Littlewit, RSC
The Revenger’s Tragedy (1969) Castiza, RSC
Troilus & Cressida (1968) Cressida, RSC
Much Ado About Nothing (1968) Hero, RSC
All’s Well That Ends Well (1967) Diana, RSC
Anthony and Cleopatra (1965) Cleopatra, National Youth Theatre

TV (Date) Role

1923 (2022) Dutton family *tbr
Solos (2021) Peg
Catherine The Great (2018) Catherine The Great
Phil Spector (2013) Linda Kenney Baden
Prime Suspect VII: The Final Act (2006) Jane Tennison
Elizabeth I (2005) Elizabeth I
Prime Suspect VI: The Last Witness (2003) Jane Tennison
The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone (2002) Karen Stone
Door to Door (2002) Mrs. Porter
Georgetown (2002) Annabelle Garrison
The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999) Ayn Rand
Painted Lady (1997) Maggie Sheridan
Losing Chase (1996) Chase
Prime Suspect V: Errors Of Judgement (1996) Jane Tennison
Prime Suspect IV (1995) Jane Tennison
Prime Suspect III: Keeper Of Souls (1993) Jane Tennison
The Hidden Room (1993) Sarah
Prime Suspect II: Operation Nadine (1992) Jane Tennison
Prime Suspect I: Price To Pay (1990) Jane Tennison
Red King, White Knight (1989) Anna
Cause Celebre (1987) Alma Rattenbury
Coming Through (1985) Frieda von Richtofen Weekley
Play for Today: Soft Targets (1982) Celia
Cymbeline (1982) Imogen
Mrs Reinhart (1981) Mrs Reinhart
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1981) Titania
The Quiz Kid (1979) Joanne
Oresteia (1979) Cassandra
Blue Remembered Hills (1979) Angela
As You Like It (1978) Rosalind
The Country Wife (1977) Margery Pinchwife
The Collection (1976) Stella
Caesar and Claretta (1975) Claretta
The Philanthropist (1975) Celia
The Little Minister (1975) Babbie
The Apple Cart (1975) Orinthia
Miss Julie (1974) Miss Julie
Bellamira (1974) Bellamira
The Changeling (1974) Beatrice-Joanna

Photograph left: Giles Keyte