Best Of Great Britain British Acting Royalty: Always In Demand, on Stage and in Hollywood By Yahoo! Contributor | Visit Britain – Mon, 22 Oct, 2012 8:17 PM EDT (OMG)

These days, it seems there's a hot new thing on the movie scene every other week. But it takes a lot more than a few red carpets and magazine covers to develop a lasting career: It takes quality performances in quality projects. Just ask these British thespians who've enjoyed decades-long careers with dozens of fine credits — and official recognition from the Queen — to their names.

Judi Dench

Dame Judi Dench began her professional acting career in 1957 with the Old Vic Company and subsequently established herself as a great British theatre actress. British audiences also knew her from a starring role in the long-running domestic comedy TV series "As Time Goes By."

Of course, she has since also established herself as a powerhouse of film. Dench appeared in no less than six films last year including the Oscar-nominated "My Week With Marilyn," biopic "J. Edgar" and box-office juggernaut "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

In November, she reprises the role of M, the head of Foreign Intelligence for Her Majesty's Secret Service, in the next 007 installment, "Skyfall."


Maggie Smith

With a career that's spanned highbrow ("Othello") to more mainstream fare ("Sister Act," "Harry Potter"), Dame Maggie Smith shows no sign of slowing down at the age of 77. The formidable actress, known for both dramatic and comedic roles, has most recently graced the small screen in her Emmy-winning role of Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey."

While she's most recently brought her acting prowess to TV, let's not forget she's also a six-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner: for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" in 1969 and "California Suite in 1979. But she's probably best known to movie audiences worldwide for playing Professor McGonagall in the "Harry Potter" movies.

Helen Mirren

A revered stage and screen actress, Dame Helen Mirren isn't just acting royalty — she's played actual royalty on film. Her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 film "The Queen" earned the dynamo the Oscar for Best Actress. Off-screen, she turned heads with her stunning styles as she made the award-show circuit, looking sexy at 67.

But she was well known in England long before "The Queen" — as a television actress, having brought life to the gritty detective in the "Prime Suspect" series. From 1992 until 2006, she played a woman fighting for respect, and to nab suspects, in a police world dominated by men.

Next up, Mirren appears in a yet-to-be-titled Phil Spector biopic alongside Al Pacino and an Alfred Hitchcock biopic starring Anthony Hopkins.

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