Eleven great actors from Britain and Ireland, from Dames Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson to Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley and Rachel Weisz, plus three James Bonds: Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.
Britain and Ireland have given cinema some of its finest actors, many of them trained on the stage before conquering Hollywood. This collection brings together eleven of them: the theatrical Dames Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Emma Thompson; the screen stars Helena Bonham Carter, Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Rachel Weisz and Kate Beckinsale; and three actors who played James Bond, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.
Their award records are remarkable. Judi Dench won an Oscar for just eight minutes on screen, Maggie Smith won BAFTAs in five separate decades, and Emma Thompson is the only person to win Academy Awards for both acting and screenwriting. Helena Bonham Carter was the first actress to star in two separate films that each grossed over $1 billion.
Their lives off screen are just as colourful. Dench got her first tattoo at 81 and embroiders profanities as gifts, Kate Winslet rescued Richard Branson's mother from a burning house and keeps her Oscar in the guest bathroom, and Keira Knightley played Natalie Portman's body double in Star Wars. Rachel Weisz conquered real rats for The Mummy, and Maggie Smith filmed Harry Potter while secretly fighting breast cancer.
The Bond actors have their own stories: Connery polished coffins and finished third in Mr. Universe, Brosnan trained as a fire-eater and commercial illustrator, and Craig became the longest-serving 007. Choose an actor below to read fifteen facts.
Every item on this page, with the one fact most people get wrong about it.
| Name | Where you'll meet it | The fact worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Judi Dench | M in James Bond, Shakespeare in Love | She won an Oscar for just eight minutes of screen time. |
| Maggie Smith | Harry Potter, Downton Abbey | She filmed Harry Potter while secretly battling breast cancer. |
| Emma Thompson | Sense and Sensibility, Nanny McPhee | She is the only person to win Oscars for both acting and screenwriting. |
| Helena Bonham Carter | Harry Potter, The Crown | She was the first actress to star in two separate billion-dollar films. |
| Kate Winslet | Titanic, The Reader | She held her breath underwater for over seven minutes, beating Tom Cruise's record. |
| Keira Knightley | Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride & Prejudice | She played Natalie Portman's body double in Star Wars. |
| Rachel Weisz | The Mummy, The Constant Gardener | Her father was a life-saving engineer who fled Nazi persecution. |
| Kate Beckinsale | Underworld, Love & Friendship | She studied Russian and French at Oxford. |
| Sean Connery | The first screen James Bond | He turned down Gandalf and a possible $450 million payday. |
| Pierce Brosnan | GoldenEye, Mamma Mia! | He trained as a fire-eater in a circus workshop. |
| Daniel Craig | Casino Royale, Knives Out | He is the longest-serving James Bond. |
Shortest Oscar Role
8 minutes
Judi Dench won an Oscar for just eight minutes on screen as Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love. Judi Dench
Longest Breath-Hold
7 min 15 s
Kate Winslet held her breath underwater for over seven minutes while filming Avatar: The Way of Water, beating Tom Cruise's record. Kate Winslet
Billion-Dollar Double
2 films
Helena Bonham Carter was the first actress to star in two separate billion-dollar films: Alice in Wonderland and Deathly Hallows - Part 2. Helena Bonham Carter
Most Valuable Painting
$1.4 million
Pierce Brosnan's portrait of Bob Dylan sold at a charity auction in Cannes for $1.4 million. Pierce Brosnan
M in James Bond, Shakespeare in Love
Judi Dench trained as a set designer before making her stage debut as Ophelia, and she redefined Bond's boss M. She played Queen Victoria decades apart and now learns her lines by ear because of failing sight. She got her first tattoo at 81 and embroiders profanities as gifts for colleagues.
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Harry Potter, Downton Abbey
Maggie Smith began at the Oxford Playhouse in 1952, helped found the Royal National Theatre and won two Oscars for very different roles. J.K. Rowling personally requested her as McGonagall, and she refused to watch Downton Abbey. She won BAFTAs in five separate decades.
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Sense and Sensibility, Nanny McPhee
Emma Thompson honed her comedy in the Cambridge Footlights and comes from a theatrical family. She spent five years adapting Sense and Sensibility and nine years bringing Nanny McPhee to the screen. She wore trainers to Buckingham Palace for her damehood.
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Harry Potter, The Crown
Helena Bonham Carter fought to shed her "corset queen" label after early period dramas and comes from a family of politicians. She played two executed Tudor queens and consulted a medium before playing Princess Margaret in The Crown. She funded her first acting listing with prize money from a writing competition.
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Titanic, The Reader
A drama teacher told Kate Winslet she would only play "fat girl" roles, and she was working in a deli when she got her breakthrough. She suffered hypothermia on Titanic, rescued Richard Branson's mother from a fire and keeps her Oscar in the guest bathroom. Leonardo DiCaprio walked her down the aisle.
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Pirates of the Caribbean, Pride & Prejudice
Keira Knightley's name came from a typo on her birth certificate, and she overcame dyslexia by reading screenplays. She was still a minor when filming Pirates of the Caribbean and suffered a concussion training for Bend It Like Beckham. She can play music on her teeth.
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The Mummy, The Constant Gardener
Rachel Weisz was expelled from school as a teenager and co-founded an award-winning theatre group at Cambridge. She faced real rats in The Mummy and won an Oscar for The Constant Gardener. She married Daniel Craig in an ultra-secret wedding.
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Underworld, Love & Friendship
Kate Beckinsale comes from a British acting family and lost her father when she was five. She won national writing awards as a teenager and broke through in a Shakespeare adaptation. She trained reluctantly to become the action star of Underworld.
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The first screen James Bond
Sean Connery worked as a milkman and coffin polisher, served in the Royal Navy and finished third in Mr. Universe. He turned down Manchester United and wore a toupee in every Bond film. He gave his entire $1.25 million salary for Diamonds Are Forever to charity.
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GoldenEye, Mamma Mia!
Pierce Brosnan grew up in Navan, Ireland, and trained as a commercial illustrator before acting. A TV contract delayed his Bond debut until GoldenEye, which revived the franchise. His painting of Bob Dylan sold for $1.4 million at a charity auction.
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Casino Royale, Knives Out
Critics doubted a blond, shorter Bond, but Daniel Craig went on to play 007 longer than anyone. He secretly played a stormtrooper in Star Wars and once walked away from $150 million. He is an honorary commander in the Royal Navy.
Read the full article →8 questions, every answer is somewhere above.
1. How old was Judi Dench when she got her first tattoo?
2. Which Harry Potter character did Emma Thompson play?
3. Whose mother did Kate Winslet rescue from a burning house?
4. Whose body double did Keira Knightley play in Star Wars?
5. What did Sean Connery do with his entire salary for Diamonds Are Forever?
6. Which role did Sean Connery turn down, missing out on a possible $450 million?
7. Which unusual skill did Pierce Brosnan learn in a circus workshop?
8. Who was Rachel Weisz's father?
Emma Thompson. She won Best Actress for Howards End and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility, which took her five years to adapt. Anthony Hopkins presented both of her Oscars.
Sean Connery, the first screen Bond; Pierce Brosnan, who revived the franchise with GoldenEye in 1995; and Daniel Craig, the longest-serving Bond. Judi Dench also appears, having redefined Bond's boss M.
No. She famously refused to watch the series that made her Violet Crawley a global favourite, preferring the thrill of live theatre to watching herself on screen.
Maggie Smith played Professor McGonagall, at J.K. Rowling's personal request, Emma Thompson played Sybill Trelawney, and Helena Bonham Carter played Bellatrix Lestrange.
Emma Thompson wore trainers to Buckingham Palace when she was made a Dame. She is also known for presenting an award barefoot with a martini in hand.
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