HELEN MIRREN

Born in 1985, Helen Mirren began acting at a young age, performing in school productions during her childhood. She wanted to try a career on the stage after becoming “obsessed” with Shakespeare as a child. She remained involved on scene until the late 1970s, when she began to concentrate more on film, with roles in movies such as Hamlet and Excalibur. However, Mirren’s role in the TV series Prime Suspect made her famous in the United Kingdom.

Her performance as the unglamorous cop in the 1990s drama won several accolades under her belt. She earned a worldwide degree of fame at the age of 61 for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in the film The Queen and her television appearances as Elizabeth I. She repeated her Golden Globe double win, and she quickly rose to the top of the odds to win Best Actress at the Oscars that year. She’s the star with a damehood and a dazzling career, adored as a pin-up in her youth, and now basically the patron saint of graceful aging.