The best Judi Dench movies that prove her greatness

Dame Judi Dench is widely considered to be one of Britain's greatest actors, with a versatile range unmatched by many of her peers.

Her incredible stage legacy is matched by her glittering screen career, which spans seven decades and more than 60 movies, and was truly kick-started by her first appearance as James Bond's boss M in 1995's GoldenEye. It's time to focus on the best movies of Dench's time in front of the camera, so we'll be leaving the likes of Cats and Artemis Fowl to one side.

Instead, let's celebrate one of the best actors in UK history with a journey through her best and most memorable performances.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)

Dench started her acting career as so many British stalwarts of the craft did, on the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Company. One of her earliest film performances came in 1968 when Peter Hall directed this movie version of Shakespeare's classic comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, featuring Dench as a naked and impish take on the fairy Titania.

It's fair to say that the movie didn't go down well with critics, but it's equally fair to point out that Dench really stands out as an actor with all of the tools to go a long way — as indeed she eventually did.

Mrs Brown (1997)

Dench didn't work particularly frequently on the big screen until the 1990s, with her casting as James Bond's boss M for the new Pierce Brosnan era — more on that role later. But she got her first dose of Oscars success with the 1997 movie Mrs Brown, in which she starred alongside famous stand-up comedian Billy Connolly.

The movie saw Dench doing the thing she would become most well-known for — playing queens. This film was the first occasion in which she played Queen Victoria, with the film following the monarch's relationship with a Scottish servant after the death of her husband. Dench got a Best Actress nomination for the role. She would later play Queen Victoria once again in the 2017 drama Victoria & Abdul.

Shakespeare in Love (1998)

After earning an Oscar nomination for playing one queen, Dench managed to finally win one by playing another. In the historical drama Shakespeare in Love — which infamously beat Saving Private Ryan to Best Picture — Dench appears as Queen Elizabeth I.

She's only on screen for around eight minutes, but that was enough to win her the award for Best Supporting Actress. Look, Judi Dench as royalty is just the most perfect fit. The Academy was powerless to resist that level of statesmanlike power.

Chocolat (2000)

Dench started the new millennium with another great performance and another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In the movie Chocolat, Dench plays Armande Voizin — landlady to Juliette Binoche's chocolatier protagonist. She's a particularly relatable chocolate lover in that she can't help enjoying the sweet treats, despite being diabetic. Sometimes, the stuff is just irresistible.

She was showered with award nominations for the role, which got particularly deep when Armande was able to reconnect with her estranged grandson during the story. In fact, Dench actually won the Screen Actors Guild prize for the performance.

Iris (2001)

After wowing with a string of supporting roles, Dench got her most impressive leading role yet when she played novelist Iris Murdoch in this biopic, based on the memoir by Murdoch's husband. Jim Broadbent portrays the husband, John Bayley, as he tries to assist the older Murdoch in her struggles with Alzheimer's disease.

It was Broadbent who actually won at the Oscars, scooping Best Supporting Actor, but there's no denying the power of what Dench does with another historical figure. The film also gave an early big role to Hugh Bonneville, who played the younger John alongside Kate Winslet as the younger Iris.

Notes on a Scandal (2006)

Dench reteamed with Iris director Richard Eyre for Notes on a Scandal, in which the usually lovable star delved into the darkness of one of her most unconventional roles. Based on a 2003 novel, this psychological thriller casts Dench as a history teacher who becomes infatuated with a younger colleague and uses a dark secret to manipulate her.

It's a knotty piece of work for Dench that proved to be a success both critically and commercially, earning more than three times its budget at the box office. Dench was, of course, Oscar-nominated for her work, while Cate Blanchett also got a nod from the Academy for her role as the younger teacher. A success all round and a fascinating detour in the Dench canon.

Skyfall (2012)

Now, let's talk about M. Since GoldenEye effectively rebooted the James Bond franchise in 1995, Dench had been a stalwart at the centre of the series as spymaster M. But there's no doubt that she saved her most impressive performance in the role for her 007 swansong in Skyfall, which is the golden achievement of the Daniel Craig era.

The movie saw M being dragged into the action as a result of the villainous Silva — played by Javier Bardem — who wanted to kill her as a result of a long-standing grudge. She's present and correct for the action-packed final act, which culminates in the sort of moment the Bond franchise often struggles to land — a bona fide emotional pay-off.

Skyfall arguably sits among the upper echelons of the Bond franchise, and Dench's performance is a big reason why. The cold, defiant exterior of the career spy melts away and she becomes a woman grappling with the failings of her past. It's genius.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

In the last decade or so, Dench has spent a lot of time appearing in the sort of films that are often unfairly dismissed as "grey pound" movies — aimed to get older audiences into the cinemas on Tuesday mornings for a cuppa and a custard cream. It's a bit of a reductive label, but it suits a film like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to a tee. And it's a good thing.

Dench plays the widowed housewife Evelyn, who is one of a group of retirees deciding to move to a luxurious retirement home in India. Of course, when they get there, the place is ramshackle and anything but luxury. But what follows is a genuinely heart-warming journey, with Dench just one part of the likeable cast. We always love to see Dev Patel.

Philomena (2013)

It's never too surprising when you find yourself in floods of tears during a Judi Dench movie, but few of her works can manage the intensity of Philomena. Based on a true story, the film follows Dench's title character as she tries to track down her long-lost son with the help of a journalist played by Steve Coogan.

Read more: After ‘Philomena’s’ Success, Real Philomena Lee Pushes for Adoption Rights (Variety)

The film ultimately seeks to expose a scandal involving unwed Catholic women being forced to give up their children for adoption. It's an important and significant piece of work. But its human — and often devastating — side comes from the sensitivity of Dench's work as a determined mother at the end of a 50-year quest for justice.

Belfast (2021)

Dench has had a fruitful working relationship with Kenneth Branagh for decades, dating right back to some of their Shakespearean work together. She played the Anne Hathaway to his Shakespeare in the meditative drama All is True, but also appeared under his direction in the nostalgic drama Belfast.

The emotional tale traces some of the true elements of Branagh's childhood in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, with Dench as the grandmother of Jude Hill's young protagonist. The character is a mixture of Dench herself and Branagh's own gran, combining two important women in the director's life.

Dench again did a lot here with very limited screen time, earning herself an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Even as an octogenarian, she showed why she's one of the UK and the world's finest actors. If this turns out to be her last truly great performance, it's a fitting one.