Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Helen Mirren
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Helen Mirren made an impact.
Dame Helen Mirren is a highly acclaimed English actress with a career spanning six decades across stage and screen. She has received numerous prestigious awards including an Academy Award, multiple Emmy and BAFTA Awards, and a Tony Award. Notably, Mirren is the only individual to achieve both the US and UK Triple Crowns of Acting. She has also been honored with the BAFTA Fellowship and Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award. In 2003, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
1938: Brighton Rock film is based on novel by Graham Greene
In 2010, Mirren played a role in film "Brighton Rock", a crime film loosely based on Graham Greene's 1938 novel of the same name.
1981: Meeting Liam Neeson on Excalibur
In 1981, Helen Mirren met Liam Neeson while working on "Excalibur", leading to a romantic relationship. Neeson credited Mirren with helping him find an agent.
1981: Arthur Remake
In 2010, Mirren's next film was the comedy film "Arthur", a remake of the 1981 film of the same name, starring Russell Brand in the lead role. "Arthur" received generally negative reviews from critics, who declared it an "irritating, unnecessary remake".
1990: Reunion with Donald Sutherland in Bethune: The Making of a Hero
In 1990, Helen Mirren worked with Donald Sutherland on Bethune: The Making of a Hero. This was the first time they had worked together since that time.
1994: Appeared in The Madness of King George
In 1994, Helen Mirren appeared in "The Madness of King George", portraying Queen Charlotte.
1994: Portrayed Charlotte in The Madness of King George
In 1994, Helen Mirren portrayed Charlotte in "The Madness of King George".
1996: Appeared in Some Mother's Son
In 1996, Helen Mirren appeared in "Some Mother's Son".
1997: Appeared in Painted Lady
In 1997, Helen Mirren appeared in "Painted Lady".
1998: Appeared in The Prince of Egypt and Antony and Cleopatra
In 1998, Helen Mirren appeared in "The Prince of Egypt". She also played Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra" at the National Theatre alongside Alan Rickman, although the production received poor reviews.
1999: Portrayed Ayn Rand in The Passion of Ayn Rand
In 1999, Helen Mirren portrayed Ayn Rand in the television film, "The Passion of Ayn Rand", winning an Emmy for her performance.
1999: Starred in Teaching Mrs. Tingle
In 1999, Helen Mirren starred in "Teaching Mrs. Tingle", playing Mrs. Eve Tingle, a sadistic history teacher.
2000: Appeared in Greenfingers, The Pledge, and No Such Thing
In 2000, Helen Mirren appeared in "Greenfingers", a comedy about prisoners winning gardening awards, Sean Penn's "The Pledge", in which she played a child psychologist, and "No Such Thing", where she portrayed a television producer. The Pledge was a critical success, while No Such Thing was panned by critics.
2000: Cast as Lady Torrance in Orpheus Descending
In 2000, Nicholas Hytner cast Helen Mirren as Lady Torrance in his revival of Tennessee Williams' "Orpheus Descending" at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Her performance was described as exemplary.
2001: Starred in Gosford Park and Last Orders
In 2001, Helen Mirren starred in Robert Altman's "Gosford Park", receiving awards and nominations for her role. She also appeared in Fred Schepisi's "Last Orders".
2002: Appeared in Door to Door
In 2002, Helen Mirren appeared in "Door to Door".
November 2003: Starred in Mourning Becomes Electra at the National Theatre
In November 2003, Helen Mirren starred in a revival of Eugene O'Neill's "Mourning Becomes Electra" at the National Theatre, receiving praise for her performance as Christine Mannon.
2003: Starred in Calendar Girls and The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
In 2003, Helen Mirren starred in "Calendar Girls", a film inspired by the true story of women producing a nude calendar for charity, and "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone", a Showtime television film based on the novel by Tennessee Williams.
2003: Clarkson's death
In 2013, Mirren replaced Bette Midler in David Mamet's biographical television film "Phil Spector" about the American musician. The HBO film focuses on the relationship between Spector and his defence attorney Linda Kenney Baden, played by Mirren, during the first of his two murder trials for the death in 2003 of Lana Clarkson in his California mansion.
2004: Appeared in The Clearing, Pride, and Raising Helen
In 2004, Helen Mirren appeared in "The Clearing", "Pride", and "Raising Helen".
2005: Appeared in Shadowboxer and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
In 2005, Helen Mirren appeared in "Shadowboxer" and provided the voice for Deep Thought in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".
2005: Portrayed Elizabeth I in the television series Elizabeth I
In 2005, Helen Mirren portrayed Elizabeth I in the television series "Elizabeth I", receiving an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her performance.
2006: Portrayed Elizabeth II in The Queen
In 2006, Helen Mirren portrayed Elizabeth II in "The Queen", winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, the BAFTA, and a Golden Globe, among other awards.
September 2007: Won an Emmy Award for Prime Suspect: The Final Act
On September 16, 2007, Helen Mirren won another Emmy Award for her role in "Prime Suspect: The Final Act" on PBS.
2007: The Debt remake
In 2009, Mirren worked on the film The Debt, which is a remake of the 2007 Israeli film of the same name.
July 2009: Played title role in Phèdre at the National Theatre
In July 2009, Helen Mirren played the title role in Jean Racine's "Phèdre" at the National Theatre, also staged at the Epidaurus amphitheatre on July 11 and 12.
2009: Preparation for role in The Debt
In 2009, while in Israel for filming of some scenes, Helen Mirren reportedly immersed herself in studies of Hebrew language, Jewish history, and Holocaust writing in preparation for her role as a retired Israeli Mossad agent in the film "The Debt".
September 2010: Brighton Rock Premiered at Toronto International Film Festival
In September 2010, "Brighton Rock", starring Helen Mirren, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, receiving mixed reviews.
2010: Starred in Love Ranch and The Tempest
In 2010, Helen Mirren appeared in five films including starring in "Love Ranch", directed by her husband Taylor Hackford, and in Julie Taymor's "The Tempest". While Mirren received strong reviews for The Tempest, the film itself was panned.
2010: The Hundred-Foot Journey Novel Release
In 2014, Mirren starred in "The Hundred-Foot Journey", which is based on Richard C. Morais's 2010 novel with the same name.
2012: Played Alma Reville in Hitchcock and The Door
In 2012, Helen Mirren played Alfred Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville in the biopic "Hitchcock", and also starred in the drama film "The Door".
February 2013: Started in The Audience as Elizabeth II
In February 2013, Helen Mirren began playing Elizabeth II in the World Premiere of Peter Morgan's "The Audience" at the West End's Gielgud Theatre. The show was directed by Stephen Daldry.
2013: Replaced Bette Midler in Phil Spector and voiced Dean Hardscrabble in Monsters University
In 2013, Helen Mirren replaced Bette Midler in the biographical television film "Phil Spector" and voiced Dean Abigail Hardscrabble in Pixar's animated comedy film "Monsters University".
2014: Starred in The Hundred-Foot Journey
In 2014, Helen Mirren starred in "The Hundred-Foot Journey" opposite Om Puri, directed by Lasse Hallström and produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey. The film is based on Richard C. Morais's 2010 novel with the same name.
June 2015: Won Tony Award for The Audience
On June 7, 2015, Helen Mirren won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Audience". Her Tony Award win made her one of the few actors to achieve the US "Triple Crown of Acting".
2015: Reunion with Simon Curtis and appearances in multiple films
In 2015, Helen Mirren reunited with Simon Curtis for "Woman in Gold", a film based on Maria Altmann's fight for her aunt's painting. Mirren also appeared in "Eye in the Sky" as a military intelligence officer and in "Trumbo" as Hedda Hopper, receiving a Golden Globe nomination for the latter. "Woman in Gold" became one of the year's highest-grossing specialty films.
2016: Starring in Collateral Beauty
In 2016, Helen Mirren starred in "Collateral Beauty," a film about a man coping with his daughter's death. The film received negative reviews.
2017: Narration and appearance in Fast & Furious film
In 2017, Helen Mirren narrated "Cries from Syria" and appeared in "The Fate of the Furious" as Magdalene Shaw. She also starred in "The Leisure Seeker", receiving her 15th Golden Globe nomination at the 75th awards ceremony.
2018: Roles in Winchester and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
In 2018, Helen Mirren starred as Sarah Winchester in the horror film "Winchester" and as Mother Ginger in Disney's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms".
2019: Appearances in Berlin, I Love You, Anna, and Hobbs & Shaw
In 2019, Helen Mirren appeared in "Berlin, I Love You," "Anna," and co-starred in "Hobbs & Shaw," expanding her presence in ensemble and action films.
March 2021: Cast as Hespera in Shazam! Fury of the Gods
In March 2021, Helen Mirren was cast as the villain Hespera in the superhero film "Shazam! Fury of the Gods".
April 2021: Participation in "La Vacinada" Music Video
In April 2021, Helen Mirren participated in the "La Vacinada" music video by Italian comedian Checco Zalone, which humorously highlights the safety of having affairs with vaccinated individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022: Appearance in Kendrick Lamar's Music Video and Yellowstone Spinoff
In 2022, Helen Mirren appeared in Kendrick Lamar's "Count Me Out" music video and began portraying Cara Dutton in the Yellowstone spinoff "1923".
2023: Role in Golda and Barbie
In 2023, Helen Mirren portrayed Golda Meir in the biopic "Golda" and served as the narrator in Greta Gerwig's "Barbie".
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