The Amazing Career of Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren is of my generation. When I first saw her on the screen she was 36 years old, about the same as myself at the time, and I was struck by her confident beauty. Her acting amazed me, she had the ability to make you forget she was playing a part - the character was real right from the very beginning.

I took inspiration from her, resolved to put more effort into my own pursuits and persuaded myself that I wasn't growing old and useless and that I had heaps more work to do and heaps more skills to hone. Thanks, Helen.

Since the first moment when she lit up the screen for me, I've sat spellbound sending mental encouragement to Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect, sobbed a little at blues diva Maggie Sheridan in Painted Lady and discovered the private lives of two Queens of England.

Dame Helen is also a gardener who likes garden gnomes and growing onions.

She has "a soft spot for gardens that are jam-packed with gnomes, babbling brooks and little wagon-wheelie things. I've always had a secret thought that those things could come to life at night. One gnome doesn't do it for me. You've got to have a whole little village if you're going down the gnome route."

And how can you not like a woman whose nickname is "Popper"?

Mirren provided the voice for the supercomputer "Deep Thought" in the film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Helen Mirren as Caesonia in Caligula (1979)



* Helen made her theatrical debut at age 18 as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at the Old Vic in 1965, for which she received rave reviews.

* She joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1967 and went on to become a leading actress, starring in numerous plays in England.

* In 1967, Helen made her first film, Herostratus, followed in 1968 by her appearance as Hermia in Peter Hall's film of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

* In 1969 she appeared in the Italian film Colpo Rovente which was followed by her role as Cora Ryan in Age of Consent.

* In 1972 she joined Peter Brook's experimental International Centre of Theatre Research.

* More films such as Savage Messiah (1972), Miss Julie (1972), O Lucky Man! (1973), Hamlet (1976) in which she played both Ophelia and Gertrude, SOS Titanic (1979) and Caligula (1979).

* Shakespeare roles for the BBC include Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream (1981) and Imogen in Cymbeline (1983).

* In the spring of 1995, she starred in the New York stage production of A Month in the Country, which also ran in London in 1994.

* In 1984 she appeared with the Royal Shakespeare Company taking roles such as The Roaring Girl and Cleopatra again.

No mortal could possess it! No kingdom could command it!
Forged by a god. Foretold by a wizard. Found by a king

I will never forget when I first saw the film Excalibur. It was the old story, the one told by Mallory, of kings and knights and castles. Mirren played the evil half-sister of Arthur, a mysterious seductive woman with semi-magical power. Her acting was flawless, unnoticed, and she was very, very beautiful.

I remember a 'spell' she wove with Merlin, The Charm of Making, which was loosely based on Old Irish and translates to: "Serpent's breath, charm of death and life, thy omen of making.". It chilled me then, and still does.

At the age of 18, while in Youth Theatre, Mirren played Cleopatra in Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra at the Old Vic in London.

Of her experience, she said, "I loved the power and the passion of that role, and of course, it's always good to be queen."

In 1588 , as England prepared for an invasion by King Philip of Spain and his powerful Armada, chances of a victory for the English were slight.

In the manner of all Commanding Officers, Queen Elizabeth addressed to the Troops at Tilbury, in Essex.

Therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust.

I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too.

An unexpected and powerful wind blew the Armada away from the English shores.The defeat of the Armada, and the rousing speech, greatly increased Elizabeth's popularity.

Mirren's rendition is spectacular.

Prime Suspect was a groundbreaking British television series because of its portrayal of a powerful woman who dared to aspire to a leadership role in the man's world of police detective work.

In the 15 years the series ran (1991-2006), every season tackled politically volatile subject matter, from sexism to racism and homophobia, while maintaining an intense attention to detail and a steadfast commitment to the accurate portrayal of law enforcement's investigative process.

Thanks very much for dropping by to read about Helen Mirren. You're more than welcome to leave a note in the guest book above and, if you're a member of Squidoo, you can also rate this lens :)

It's all much appreciated, Susanna

For more pages like this, my lens collection is at Susanna's Lensography

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