In Great Britain, there are several national treasures beyond those found behind the doors of Windsor's palaces and castles. Probably, Judi Dench is the most respected legend of the theater who, at almost 92 years old, continues to be revered as if she were the most precious of relics. At the same time, she also reveres her loved ones in a very particular way.
In the 2.5 hectares of land of her home in Surrey County, the grand dame of the theater - and, of course, the unforgettable M, James Bond's boss since 1985 - has a hundred trees, mostly oaks, dedicated to the people she has loved the most and are no longer here. Like her late husband Mike, who passed away 25 years ago, or her close friend Maggie Smith, partner in crime at tea time.
She has countless memories. Still very vivid. Her memory is prodigious. Every now and then, those friends she adores visit her, like Kenneth Branagh and Sir Ian McKellen, with whom she spends time reciting excerpts from Shakespeare's plays and sonnets.
But it is her eyesight that is causing havoc. In 2012, she was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that has been eroding her vision until everything has faded to black: "I can't be on stage. I can't perform in a play anymore. I can't make a movie anymore. I can't read anymore," she stoically commented on the BBC Radio 4 program Today.
With seven decades of career and trained in the elitist Old Vic Company, the honorable actress has done it all on stage. She debuted withHamlet in 1957 where she played Ophelia, followed by Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor... In England, they value what they have. In February 2027, they will rename the Shaftesbury Theatre with her name, the largest in London's West End.
In film, she has had immense roles. There's A Room with a View (1985), Tea with Mussolini (1999), or Victoria & Abdul (2017). Out of eight Oscar nominations, she won the Best Supporting Actress for Shakespeare in Love (1999).
Regarding aging, Judi Dench has said: "There's nothing to say about it. I don't think much about it." Although she did confess that "a couple of years ago I stopped driving, which was one of the most traumatic moments of my life. It was absolutely terrible."
Due to her illness, the actress ensures that she has had funny moments and, at times, awkward ones, like when she approaches people she thinks she knows "and almost hugs them" before realizing her mistake.
Dame Judy Dench can boast of having had a fulfilling life artistically and personally. In 1962, she met her husband, also actor Michael Williams, while celebrating a Royal Shakespeare Company production in a pub. But they did not get married until 1971 as the actress made him wait after rejecting eight marriage proposals. The following year, their only daughter, Finty Williams (54), who is also an actress, was born. She has a grandson named Sam (26).
After becoming a widow, she decided that she would not marry again. Since 2010, she has been dating David Mills, a conservationist and founder of the British Wildfire Centre whom she met when she inaugurated a squirrel enclosure. To keep their relationship alive, they decided to live in different homes.
For over four decades, the actress has lived in a 15th-century country house of 650 square meters valued at almost 10 million euros in the small village of Outwood (Surrey).