British Royalty on Film
by glyntreharne-1 | created - 22 Sep 2013 | updated - 19 Sep 2021 | PublicPortrayals of the British Royal family in feature films and television
1. David Hemmings
Actor | Blow-Up
David Hemmings, one of the great English cinema icons of the 1960s, was born in Guildford, Surrey, on November 18, 1941, to a cookie merchant and his wife. He was educated at Glyn College, Epsom, but while still a child, Hemmings made his first forays into the world of entertainment. An ...
as Alfred the Great (1969)
2. Alexander Gauge
Actor | The Pickwick Papers
Alexander Gauge was born on July 29, 1914 in Wenchow, China. He was an actor, known for The Pickwick Papers (1952), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (1955). He was married to Phyllis Anne Lilley. He died on August 29, 1960 in Woking, Surrey, England, UK.
as Henry II in Murder in the Cathedral (1951)
3. Peter O'Toole
Actor | Lawrence of Arabia
A leading man of prodigious talents, Peter O'Toole was born and raised in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, the son of Constance Jane Eliot (Ferguson), a Scottish nurse, and Patrick Joseph O'Toole, an Irish metal plater, football player and racecourse bookmaker. Upon leaving school, he decided to become a...
as Henry II in Becket (1964) & The Lion in Winter (1968)
4. Wallace Beery
Actor | A Date with Judy
In 1902, 16-year-old Wallace Beery joined the Ringling Brothers Circus as an assistant to the elephant trainer. He left two years later after a leopard clawed his arm. Beery next went to New York, where he found work in musical variety shows. He became a leading man in musicals and appeared on ...
as Richard I in Robin Hood (1922)
5. Ian Hunter
Actor | The Adventures of Robin Hood
Ian Hunter was born in the Kenilworth area of Cape Town, South Africa where he spent his childhood. In his teen years he and his parents returned to the family origins in England to live. Sometime between that arrival and the early years of World War I, Hunter began exploring acting. But in 1917 - ...
as Richard I in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
6. Patrick Barr
Actor | Octopussy
Patrick Barr, born into a judicial family in British India in 1908, was active for more than half a century on the stage, screen and, later, very successfully on television.
Tall and distinguished, the son of a judge and (in retirement) theatrical manager, Barr was educated at Radley and Trinity ...
as Richard I in The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)
7. Norman Wooland
Actor | Hamlet
A classical stage actor who enjoyed modest film stardom in the late 1940s and 1950s, the good-looking, somewhat unassuming British actor Norman Wooland also worked extensively on radio and television in a career that spanned six decades. Born to British parents in Dusseldorf, Germany on March 16, ...
as Richard I in Ivanhoe (1952)
8. George Sanders
Actor | All About Eve
George Sanders was born of English parents in St. Petersburg, Russia. He worked in a Birmingham textile mill, in the tobacco business and as a writer in advertising. He entered show business in London as a chorus boy, going from there to cabaret, radio and theatrical understudy. His film debut, in ...
as Richard I in King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
9. Patrick Holt
Actor | Fly Away Peter
Born Patrick George Parsons, Patrick spent part of his childhood in India with his uncle. Patrick was sent to Christ's Hospital, a famous charity school in England, where he formed a close friendship with a boy in the same boarding house, the future film star, Michael Wilding. Some thought Holt was...
as Richard I in The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954)
10. Anthony Hopkins
Actor | The Silence of the Lambs
Anthony Hopkins was born on December 31, 1937, in Margam, Wales, to Muriel Anne (Yeats) and Richard Arthur Hopkins, a baker. His parents were both of half Welsh and half English descent. Influenced by Richard Burton, he decided to study at College of Music and Drama and graduated in 1957. In 1965, ...
as Richard I in The Lion in Winter (1968)
11. Peter Ustinov
Actor | Spartacus
Peter Ustinov was a two-time Academy Award-winning film actor, director, writer, journalist and raconteur. He wrote and directed many acclaimed stage plays and led numerous international theatrical productions.
He was born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinow on April 16, 1921 in Swiss Cottage, ...
as Richard I (voice) in Robin Hood (1973)
12. Richard Harris
Actor | Unforgiven
Richard St John Harris was born on October 1, 1930 in Limerick, Ireland, to a farming family, one of nine children born to Mildred (Harty) and Ivan Harris. He attended Crescent College, a Jesuit school, and was an excellent rugby player, with a strong passion for literature. Unfortunately, a bout ...
as Richard I in Robin and Marion (1976)
13. Sean Connery
Actor | The Rock
The tall, handsome and muscular Scottish actor Sean Connery is best known as the original actor to portray James Bond in the hugely successful movie franchise, starring in seven films between 1962 and 1983. Some believed that such a career-defining role might leave him unable to escape it, but he ...
as Richard I in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
14. Patrick Stewart
Actor | Logan
Sir Patrick Stewart was born in Mirfield, Yorkshire, England, to Gladys (Barrowclough), a textile worker and weaver, and Alfred Stewart, who was in the army. He was a member of various local drama groups from about age 12. He left school at age 15 to work as a junior reporter on a local paper; he ...
as Richard I in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
15. Danny Huston
Actor | The Constant Gardener
Award-winning actor, writer and director, Danny Huston is known for his versatility and dramatic screen presence. Most recognized for his roles in films like Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men and Alejandro Inarritu's 21 Grams, Huston has worked with some of the finest ...
as Richard I in Robin Hood (2010)
16. Greg Maness
Actor | Dark Ages
Greg Maness was born in Coevorden, Drenthe, Netherlands. He is an actor and writer, known for Dark Ages (2020), Richard The Lionheart (2013) and Selma (2014).
as King Richard I in Richard the Lionheart (2013)
17. Charles Laughton
Actor | Witness for the Prosecution
Charles Laughton was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, to Eliza (Conlon) and Robert Laughton, hotel keepers of Irish and English descent, respectively. He was educated at Stonyhurst (a highly esteemed Jesuit college in England) and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (received gold medal). ...
as Henry VIII in The Private Life of Henry VIII. (1933) & Young Bess (1953)
18. Frank Cellier
Actor | The 39 Steps
Born Francois Cellier, he was the son of a conductor by the same name. On stage from 1903, Frank was a classically-trained actor who acted in both Shakespearean and modern plays. According to contemporary reviews, he essayed a particularly noteworthy Macbeth in 1923. He was also fond of playing ...
as Henry VIII in Tudor Rose (1936)
19. Montagu Love
Actor | Gunga Din
Montague Love - certainly an intriguing name - but his own - started his working life as a newspaper man in London. His primary expertise centered on being a field illustrator and cartoonist who covered the Boer War (1899-1902). His realistic battle sketches gained him popularity among readers, but...
as Henry VIII in The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
20. James Robertson Justice
Actor | Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
James Robertson Justice was always a noticeable presence in a film with his large stature, bushy beard and booming voice. A Ph.D., a journalist, a naturalist, an expert falconer, a racing car driver, JRJ was certainly a man of many talents.
He entered the film industry quite late in life (37) after ...
as Henry VIII in The Sword and the Rose (1953)
21. Robert Shaw
Actor | Jaws
Robert Archibald Shaw was born on August 9, 1927, in Westhoughton, Lancashire, England, the eldest son of Doreen Nora (Avery), a nurse, and Thomas Archibald Shaw, a doctor. His paternal grandfather was Scottish, from Argyll. Shaw's mother, who was born in Piggs Peak, Swaziland, met his father while...
as Henry VIII in A Man for All Seasons (1966
22. Richard Burton
Actor | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Probably best-remembered for his turbulent personal life with Elizabeth Taylor (whom he married twice), Richard Burton was nonetheless also regarded as an often brilliant British actor of the post-WWII period.
Burton was born Richard Walter Jenkins in 1925 into a Welsh (Cymraeg)-speaking family in ...
as Henry VIII in Anne of the Thousand Days (1969
23. Sidney James
Actor | Carry on Cleo
The star of the Carry On series of films, Sid James originally came to prominence as sidekick to the ground breaking British comedy actor Tony Hancock, on both radio and then television. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and named Solomon Joel Cohen, James arrived in England in 1946, second wife ...
as Henry VIII in Carry on Henry (1971)
24. Keith Michell
Actor | Henry VIII and His Six Wives
Keith Michell was an Emmy Award-winning Australian stage, television, and film actor. Born 1 December 1926 in Adelaide, South Australia, he was brought up some 150 miles away, in Warnertown, on the Augusta Highway between Crystal Brook and Port Pirie. He taught art until he made his debut on the ...
as Henry VIII in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)
25. Charlton Heston
Actor | Ben-Hur
With features chiseled in stone, and renowned for playing a long list of historical figures, particularly in Biblical epics, the tall, well-built and ruggedly handsome Charlton Heston was one of Hollywood's top leading men of his prime and remained active in front of movie cameras for over sixty ...
as Henry VIII in Crossed Swords (1977)
26. Eric Bana
Actor | Dirty John
Eric Bana was born Eric Banadinovic on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the younger of two brothers. His father, named Ivan Banadinovic, came from Zagreb, Croatia, and worked as a manager for Caterpillar Inc. His mother, named Eleanor Banadinovic, came from a German family ...
as Henry VIII in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
27. Nova Pilbeam
Actress | Young and Innocent
Nova Pilbeam was a famous child actress on stage and screen in the UK. Her biggest successes were her two movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and this film. She married director Pen Tennyson in 1939, but unfortunately she was widowed less than two years later when ...
as Lady Jane Grey in Tudor Rose (1936). Lady Jane was proclaimed Queen on the death of Edward VI. She reigned for nine days before Edward's sister Mary overthrew her. She was executed in 1554.
28. Helena Bonham Carter
Actress | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Helena Bonham Carter is an actress of great versatility, one of the UK's finest and most successful.
Bonham Carter was born May 26, 1966 in Golders Green, London, England, the youngest of three children of Elena (née Propper de Callejón), a psychotherapist, and Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant ...
as Lady Jane Grey in Lady Jane (1986). Lady Jane was proclaimed Queen on the death of Edward VI. She reigned for nine days before Edward's sister Mary overthrew her. She was executed in 1554
29. Kathy Burke
Actress | Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Ms. Burke was born in Camden, London in 1964 at the Royal Free Hospital. Kathy's mother died when she was a baby and she was in foster homes for a short time until her father, who was a heavy drinker, could regain custody of Kathy and live with her two brothers. Kathy attended the Maria Fidelis ...
as Queen Mary I in Elizabeth (1998)
30. Sarah Bernhardt
Actress | La dame aux camélias
This celebrated star of the French stage had a sporadic love-hate affair with early cinema. After her film debut in Le duel d'Hamlet (1900) she declared she detested the medium; yet she consented to appear in another film, La Tosca (1909). Upon seeing the results, she reportedly recoiled in horror,...
as Queen Elizabeth I in The Loves of Queen Elizabeth (1912)
31. Ellen Compton
Actress | The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots
Ellen Compton was born on November 28, 1891 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923). She died in May 1970 in Denville Hall, Northwood, London, England, UK.
as Queen Elizabeth I in The Loves of Mary Queen of Scots (1923)
32. Athene Seyler
Actress | Drake of England
Athene Seyler was born on May 31, 1889 in Hackney, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Drake the Pirate (1935), Curse of the Demon (1957) and The Franchise Affair (1951). She was married to Nicholas Hannen and James Bury Sterndale-Bennett. She died on September 12, 1990 in ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Drake of England (1935)
33. Florence Eldridge
Actress | Inherit the Wind
Versatile character actress Florence Eldridge seemed often better served by the stage than by her roles in motion pictures. On the boards from the age of seventeen as a chorine in "Rock-a-Bye Baby" in 1918, she acted with touring companies and on Broadway and soon found herself playing leading ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Mary of Scotland (1936)
34. Flora Robson
Actress | Clash of the Titans
Flora Robson knew she was no beauty, but her wise and sympathetic face would become a familiar - indeed, shining - ornament of the 1930s and '40s silver screen. Though not sure of acting as a career in her early years, she first appeared on stage when 5 years old. She was educated at Palmer's Green...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Fire Over England (1937) & The Sea Hawk (1940)
35. Bette Davis
Actress | All About Eve
Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, to Ruth Augusta (Favor) and Harlow Morrell Davis, a patent attorney. Her parents divorced when she was 10. She and her sister were raised by their mother. Her early interest was dance. To Bette, dancers led a glamorous life, but...
as Queen Elizabeth I in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) & The Virgin Queen (1955)
36. Jean Simmons
Actress | Guys and Dolls
Demure British beauty Jean Simmons was born January 31, 1929, in Crouch End, London. As a 14-year-old dance student, she was plucked from her school to play Margaret Lockwood's precocious sister in Give Us the Moon (1944). She had a small part as a harpist in the high-profile Caesar and Cleopatra (...
as Young Bess, later Queen Elizabeth I in Young Bess (1953)
37. Jean Kent
Actress | Sleeping Car to Trieste
Vivacious, hazel-eyed, strawberry-haired Jean Kent was a popular star of British films in the 1940's and early 50's. The daughter of variety performers Norman Field and Nina Norre, she was convent-educated. By the age of ten, she accompanied her mother on tour, then spent several years in the ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Sir Francis Drake (TV 1961 -1962)
38. Irene Worth
Actress | Deathtrap
Educated at UCLA, she made her Broadway debut in 1943. Primarily a stage actress she moved to Britain in 1944, where she worked at the Old Vic and with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She returned to the US in 1975, continuing her stage work on Broadway, and making occasional films. She has won ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Seven Seas to Calais (1962)
39. Glenda Jackson
Actress | Women in Love
Few in modern British history have come as far or achieved as much from humble beginnings as Glenda Jackson did. From acclaimed actress to respected MP (Member of Parliament), she was known for her high intelligence and meticulous approach to her work. She was born to a working-class household in ...
As Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth R (TV 1971)
40. Jenny Runacre
Actress | The Witches
Jenny Runacre was born on August 18, 1946 in Capetown, South Africa, one of four girls in the family. The family moved to London when she was five, where Runacre developed an early love of movies, spending much time watching them in the local cinemas. She attended The Actor's Workshop in Notting ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Jubilee (1978)
41. Miranda Richardson
Actress | The Crying Game
Miranda Richardson was born in Southport, Lancashire, England on March 3, 1958, to Marian Georgina (Townsend) and William Alan Richardson, a marketing executive. She has one sister, eight years her senior. Her parents and sister are not involved in the performing arts. At an early age she performed...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Black-Adder II (TV 1986)
42. Quentin Crisp
Actor | Orlando
Quentin Crisp was born Denis Pratt on Christmas Day, 1908, in the London suburb of Sutton. He was the youngest of four children; his father a lawyer; his mother a former nursery governess. In his autobiographical work, "The Naked Civil Servant", he describes a difficult childhood in a rigorously ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Orlando (1992)
43. Judi Dench
Actress | Skyfall
Dame Judi Dench was born Judith Olivia Dench in York, England, to Eleanora Olive (Jones), who was from Dublin, Ireland, and Reginald Arthur Dench, a doctor from Dorset, England. She attended Mount School in York, and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She has performed with the ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
44. Cate Blanchett
Actress | Carol
Cate Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to June (Gamble), an Australian teacher and property developer, and Robert DeWitt Blanchett, Jr., an American advertising executive, originally from Texas. She has an older brother and a younger sister. When she was ten ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) & Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
45. Diane D'Aquila
Actress | Elizabeth Rex
Diane D'Aquila was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. She is known for Elizabeth Rex (2004), Take This Waltz (2011) and Good Neighbours (2010). She was previously married to C. David Johnson.
as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth Rex (TV 2004)
46. Anne-Marie Duff
Actress | Nowhere Boy
Anne-Marie Duff is an English actress, born on 8 October 1970 in Southall, London. Her parents, Brendan and Mary (née Doherty), are from Donegal, Ireland. Her father worked as a painter and decorator and her mother worked in a shoe shop.
She first came to the attention of the British public for her ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (TV 2005)
47. Helen Mirren
Actress | The Queen
Dame Helen Mirren was born in Queen Charlotte's Hospital in West London. Her mother, Kathleen Alexandrina Eva Matilda (Rogers), was from a working-class English family, and her father, Vasiliy Petrovich Mironov, was a Russian-born civil servant, from Kuryanovo, whose own father was a diplomat. ...
as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth I (2007)
48. Laoise Murray
Actress | The Tudors
Laoise Murray is known for The Tudors (2007), The Delinquent Season (2018) and Out of Here (2013).
as Lady Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth I in The Tudors (TV 2010)
49. Joely Richardson
Actress | Nip/Tuck
For Joely, the theatre must be in her genes. Born in Marylebone, London, England, she is the daughter of director Tony Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave, granddaughter of Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson, niece of Lynn Redgrave, and sister of Natasha Richardson, all actors. Former husband Tim ...
as Queen Elizabeth I (younger) in Anonymous (2011)
50. Vanessa Redgrave
Actress | Coriolanus
On January 30, 1937, renowned theatre actor Michael Redgrave was performing in a production of Hamlet in London. During the curtain call, the show's lead, Laurence Olivier, announced to the audience: "tonight a great actress was born". This was in reference to his co-star's newborn daughter, ...
as Queen Elizabeth I (older) in Anonymous (2011)
51. Olivia Colman
Actress | The Favourite
Olivia Colman was born on January 30, 1974 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Favourite (2018), Tyrannosaur (2011) and The Lost Daughter (2021). She has been married to Ed Sinclair since August 2001. They have three children.
as Queen Anne in The Favourite (2018)
52. Peter Bull
Actor | The African Queen
He was born 21st March 1912 in London, the fourth son of Sir William James Bull M.P. and Lillian Heather Brandon. Educated at Winchester College, he started in journalism before studying for the stage with Elsie Fogerty and made his stage debut at London's Shaftsbury Theatre in As You Like It on ...
as Prince George Louis, later George I in Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948)
53. Eric Pohlmann
Actor | The Return of the Pink Panther
Born in Vienna. Studied at Max Reinhardt School. Early years as entertainer at Reiss Bar in Vienna. Often appeared at still-existing Raimund-Theater. Met wife, Liselotte, on stage in Brno (now Czech Republic). She escaped to London in 1938, he in 1939, where they married that year. Frequent ...
as George I in Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953)
54. Raymond Lovell
Actor | The Young Mr. Pitt
Raymond Lovell was born on April 13, 1900 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He was an actor, known for The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), Time, Gentlemen, Please! (1952) and Who Killed Van Loon? (1948). He was married to Tamara Desni and Margot Collis. He died on October 1, 1953 in London, England, UK.
as George III in The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)
55. Frederick Valk
Actor | Night Train to Munich
Frederick Valk was born on June 10, 1895 in Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor, known for Night Train to Munich (1940), Thunder Rock (1942) and Dead of Night (1945). He was married to Diana Mary Quirk. He died on July 23, 1956 in London, England, UK.
as George III in Mrs. Fitzherbert (1947)
56. Robert Morley
Actor | The African Queen
Bushy-browed, triple-chinned and plummy-voiced English actor and raconteur of wide girth and larger-than-life personality. The son of a career army officer, Morley was expected to join the diplomatic corps. As a 'compromise', he tried his hand as a beer salesman. However, bitten by the acting bug ...
as George III in Beau Brummell (1954)
57. Eric Pohlmann
Actor | The Return of the Pink Panther
Born in Vienna. Studied at Max Reinhardt School. Early years as entertainer at Reiss Bar in Vienna. Often appeared at still-existing Raimund-Theater. Met wife, Liselotte, on stage in Brno (now Czech Republic). She escaped to London in 1938, he in 1939, where they married that year. Frequent ...
as George III in John Paul Jones (1959) & Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow (1963)
58. Roger Booth
Actor | Barry Lyndon
Roger Booth was born on November 12, 1933 in East Stonehouse, Devon, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Barry Lyndon (1975), Cutthroat Island (1995) and Daniel Deronda (1970). He died on February 26, 2014 in London, England, UK.
as George III in Barry Lyndon (1975)
59. Nigel Hawthorne
Actor | The Madness of King George
Widely regarded as one of the greatest stage and screen actors both in his native UK and internationally, the unparalleled Nigel Hawthorne was born in Coventry, England on 5 April 1929, raised in South Africa and returned to the UK in the 1950s with his extensive work as a great gentleman of acting...
as George III in The Madness of King George (1994)
60. Anna Neagle
Actress | The Courtneys of Curzon Street
Dame Anna Neagle, the endearingly popular British star during WWII, was born Florence Marjorie Robertson and began dancing as a professional in chorus lines at age 14. She starred with actor Jack Buchanan in the musical "Stand Up and Sing" in the West End and earned her big break when producer/...
as Queen Victoria in Victoria the Great (1937), Sixty Glorious Years (1938) & Lilacs in the Spring (1954)
61. Beryl Mercer
Actress | The Little Princess
Too short to be a leading lady, Beryl Mercer had a very active and productive career playing motherly characters. She played opposite great leading men, such as Colin Clive, Robert Montgomery, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Leslie Howard, Spencer Tracy, and Randolph Scott. She also played Queen ...
as Queen Victoria in The Little Princess (1939) & The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939)
62. Irene Dunne
Actress | The Awful Truth
Irene Marie Dunne was born on December 20, 1898, in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Joseph Dunne, who inspected steamships, and Adelaide Henry, a musician who prompted Irene in the arts. Her first production was in Louisville when she appeared in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the age...
as Queen Victoria in The Mudlark (1950)
63. Helen Hayes
Actress | Airport
Known as "The First lady of the American Theater", Helen Hayes had a legendary career on stage and in films and television that spanned over eighty years. Hayes was born in Washington, D.C., to Catherine Estelle "Essie" Hayes, an actress who worked in touring companies, and Francis van Arnum Brown,...
as Queen Victoria in Robert Montgomery Presents: Victoria Regina (1951)
64. Muriel Aked
Actress | The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp
Muriel Aked was born on November 9, 1883 in Bingley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Autumn Crocus (1934) and A Sister to Assist 'Er (1948). She died on March 21, 1955 in Settle, Yorkshire, England, UK.
as Queen Victoria in The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953)
65. Sybil Thorndike
Actress | The Prince and the Showgirl
This distinguished theatrical tragedienne will be remembered forever if only for the fact George Bernard Shaw wrote his classic "Saint Joan" work specifically for her. Her over six-decade career allowed for a gallery of sterling, masterful portrayals, both classic and contemporary, performing all ...
as Queen Victoria in Melba (1953)
66. Romy Schneider
Actress | L'important c'est d'aimer
Romy Schneider was born on 23 September 1938 in Vienna, Austria into a family of actors. Making her film debut at the age of 15, her breakthrough came two years later in the very popular trilogy Sissi (1955). Her mother, supervising her daughter's career, immediately approved Romy's participation ...
as Queen Victoria in Mädchenjahre einer Königin (1954)
67. Avis Bunnage
Actress | Gandhi
Mildred Avis Bunnage (she later dropped her forename), daughter of William and Eveline (Ward) Bunnage, attended Manley Park Municipal School and Chorlton Central School in Manchester. She formerly worked as a secretary and nursery teacher before deciding to switch careers and become an actress. She...
as Queen Victoria in The Wrong Box (1966)
68. Joan Sterndale-Bennett
Actress | Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon
Joan Sterndale-Bennett was born on March 5, 1914 in London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Those Fantastic Flying Fools (1967), No Haunt for a Gentleman (1952) and ITV Play of the Week (1955). She died on April 27, 1996 in Hayling Island, Hampshire, England, UK.
as Queen Victoria in Rocket to the Moon (1967)
69. Peter Sellers
Actor | Being There
Often credited as the greatest comedian of all time, Peter Sellers was born Richard Henry Sellers to a well-off acting family in 1925 in Southsea, a suburb of Portsmouth. He was the son of Agnes Doreen "Peg" (Marks) and William "Bill" Sellers. His parents worked in an acting company run by his ...
as Queen Victoria in The Great McGonagall (1974)
70. Judi Dench
Actress | Skyfall
Dame Judi Dench was born Judith Olivia Dench in York, England, to Eleanora Olive (Jones), who was from Dublin, Ireland, and Reginald Arthur Dench, a doctor from Dorset, England. She attended Mount School in York, and studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She has performed with the ...
as Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown (1997) & Victoria & Abdul (2017)
71. Emily Blunt
Actress | Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow
Emily Olivia Leah Blunt is a British actress known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Young Victoria (2009), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and The Girl on the Train (2016), among many others.
Blunt was born on February 23, 1983, in Roehampton, South West London, England, the second of ...
as Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria (2009)
72. Jenna Coleman
Actress | Victoria
Jenna Coleman is best known for her BAFTA-nominated performance as Clara in 'Doctor Who' and for playing the title role in ITV's Emmy-nominated series 'Victoria'. She was most recently seen in a lead role as Marie-Andrée Leclerc in the dark crime drama 'The Serpent' for BBC and Netflix opposite ...
as Queen Victoria in Victoria (TV 2016 - )
73. Timothy West
Actor | The Day of the Jackal
A versatile British actor noted for his great power and command on the classical stage and in several other mediums including radio, film and television, Timothy West was born on October 20, 1934 in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, the son of actors (Harry) Lockwood West and his wife Olive (...
as Edward VII in Edward the Seventh (1975)
74. Marius Goring
Actor | The Red Shoes
The son of Dr. Charles Buckman Goring M.D. and Kate Winifred (nee MacDonald). Marius Goring was educated at Perse School, Cambridge, England and at the Universities of Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Paris. He studied for the stage under Harcourt Williams at the Old Vic dramatic school, London. His ...
as King George V in Edward and Mrs Simpson (1978)
75. Michael Gambon
Actor | Gosford Park
Sir Michael Gambon was born in Cabra, Dublin, Ireland, to Mary (Hoare), a seamstress, and Edward Gambon, an engineer. After joining the National Theatre, under the Artistic Directorship of Sir Laurence Olivier, Gambon went on to appear in a number of leading roles in plays written by Alan Ayckbourn...
as King George V in The King's Speech (2010)
76. Peggy Ashcroft
Actress | A Passage to India
Academy Award-winning, legendary English actress - who maintained her status in the British acting elite for decades. Made a Dame of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956. Almost always on stage, she appeared rarely in film, her first being The Wandering Jew (1933). On stage she was cast...
as Queen Mary, wife of George V in Edward and Mrs Simpson (1978)
77. Claire Bloom
Actress | Clash of the Titans
Age has not taken the flower off this Bloom. The well-known and highly respected stage, screen and television actress Claire Bloom continues to be in demand as an octogenarian actress and looks as beautiful as ever.
She was born Patricia Claire Blume on February 15, 1931, in Finchley, North London, ...
as Queen Mary, wife of George V in The King’s Speech (2010)
78. Eileen Atkins
Actress | Gosford Park
Eileen Atkins was born in a Salvation Army Women's Hostel in north London. Her father was a gas meter reader; her mother, a seamstress and barmaid. A drama teacher taught her how to drop her Cockney accent, and she studied Shakespeare and Greek tragedies. Her breakthrough role in "The Killing of ...
as Queen Mary, wife of George V in The Crown (2016)
79. Edward Fox
Actor | A Bridge Too Far
Educated at Harrow he worked at Marks and Spencers but was dismissed for wearing a loud checked suit. He sprang to international fame in 1973 as the assassin in Day of the Jackal, then had cameo style roles in Gandhi, The Dresser, Never Say Never Again and leads in The Wild Geese and The Shooting ...
as Edward VIII in Edward and Mrs Simpson (1978)
80. David Yelland
Actor | Chariots of Fire
David Yelland was born in 1947 in the UK. He is an actor, known for Chariots of Fire (1981), Coriolanus (2011) and Hunter Killer (2018).
as Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII in Chariots of Fire (1981)
81. Guy Pearce
Actor | Memento
Guy Edward Pearce was born October 5, 1967 in Cambridgeshire, England, UK to Margaret Anne and Stuart Graham Pearce. His father was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to English and Scottish parents, while Guy's mother is English. Pearce and his family initially traveled to Australia for two years, ...
as Edward VIII in The King's Speech (2010)
82. James D'Arcy
Actor | Cloud Atlas
James D'Arcy was born Simon Richard D'Arcy in London, England, to Caroline (O'Connor) and Richard D'Arcy. He was raised by his mother, a nurse. He trained at LAMDA and graduated in July 1995. During his three-year course, he gained acting experience by appearing in the plays "Heracles", "As You ...
as Edward VIII in W.E. (2011)
83. Alex Jennings
Actor | The Lady in the Van
Alex Jennings was born on May 10, 1957 in Essex, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Lady in the Van (2015), The Queen (2006) and The Wings of the Dove (1997). He has been married to Lesley Moors since 2012. They have two children.
as The Duke of Windsor, the former King Edward VIII in The Crown (2016 - 2017)
84. Colin Firth
Actor | A Single Man
Colin Andrew Firth was born into an academic family in Grayshott, Hampshire, England. His mother, Shirley Jean (Rolles), was a comparative religion lecturer at the Open University, and his father, David Norman Lewis Firth, lectured on history at Winchester University College (formerly King Alfred's...
as King George VI in The King' Speech (2010)
85. Laurence Fox
Actor | The Hole
RADA-trained Laurence Fox is the third son of the actor James Fox and his wife Mary. He is a British actor who has appeared in several important films, plays, and television programs.
He is also active in politics, founding a new political party named "Reclaim" in 2020 and he presents an opinion ...
as King George VI in W.E. (2011)
86. Samuel West
Actor | Howards End
Samuel West was born on June 19, 1966 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for Howards End (1992), Van Helsing (2004) and Notting Hill (1999).
as King George VI in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
87. Jared Harris
Actor | Chernobyl
Jared Francis Harris was born in London, England. He is the son of Irish actor Richard Harris and Welsh actress Elizabeth Harris (Elizabeth Rees), and brother of Damian Harris and Jamie Harris. Despite his lineage, Jared showed little interest in becoming an actor, until he was cast in a college ...
as King George VI in The Crown (2016 - 2017)
88. Sylvia Syms
Actress | The Queen
London-born Sylvia May Laura Syms hit major film appeal at a relatively young age. Born on January 6, 1934, she was educated at convent schools before receiving dramatic training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She made her stage debut in a production of "The Apple Cart" in 1954.
A repertory ...
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI in The Queen (2006)
89. Helena Bonham Carter
Actress | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Helena Bonham Carter is an actress of great versatility, one of the UK's finest and most successful.
Bonham Carter was born May 26, 1966 in Golders Green, London, England, the youngest of three children of Elena (née Propper de Callejón), a psychotherapist, and Raymond Bonham Carter, a merchant ...
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI in The King's Speech (2010)
90. Natalie Dormer
Actress | Game of Thrones
Natalie Dormer born February 11, 1982 is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Anne Boleyn on the Showtime series The Tudors (2007-10), as Margaery Tyrell on the HBO series Game of Thrones (2012-14), Irene Adler on the CBS series Elementary (2013-15), and as Cressida in the ...
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI in W.E. (2011)
91. Olivia Colman
Actress | The Favourite
Olivia Colman was born on January 30, 1974 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Favourite (2018), Tyrannosaur (2011) and The Lost Daughter (2021). She has been married to Ed Sinclair since August 2001. They have three children.
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
92. Victoria Hamilton
Actress | Scoop
Victoria Hamilton is an English actress. After training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Hamilton began her career in classical theatre, appearing in productions with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. In 2002, she appeared in the London stage play A Day in the ...
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI in The Crown (TV 2015 - 2017)
93. Marion Bailey
Actress | Vera Drake
Marion Bailey was born on May 5, 1951 in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Vera Drake (2004), Mr. Turner (2014) and Allied (2016).
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of George VI in The Crown (2019 - 2020)
94. Lore Stefanek
Actress | Spencer
Lore Stefanek was born in 1943 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. She is an actress, known for Spencer (2021), Hedda Gabler (2006) and Baltic Crimes (2014).
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI in Spencer (2021)
95. Marcia Warren
Actress | Leap Year
Marcia was born on 26 November 1943 and trained as an actress at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1963. From there on she took the path of many of her performing contemporaries, acting in repertory throughout the country - beginning as a assistant stage manager in 'David ...
as Queen Elizabeth, wife of King George VI in The Crown (2022)
96. Helen Mirren
Actress | The Queen
Dame Helen Mirren was born in Queen Charlotte's Hospital in West London. Her mother, Kathleen Alexandrina Eva Matilda (Rogers), was from a working-class English family, and her father, Vasiliy Petrovich Mironov, was a Russian-born civil servant, from Kuryanovo, whose own father was a diplomat. ...
as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006)
97. Claire Foy
Actress | First Man
Claire Elizabeth Foy (born 16 April 1984) is an English actress. She studied acting at the Liverpool John Moores University and the Oxford School of Drama and made her screen debut in the pilot of the supernatural comedy series Being Human, in 2008. Following her professional stage debut at the ...
as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown (TV 2016 - 2017)
98. Olivia Colman
Actress | The Favourite
Olivia Colman was born on January 30, 1974 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Favourite (2018), Tyrannosaur (2011) and The Lost Daughter (2021). She has been married to Ed Sinclair since August 2001. They have three children.
as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown (TV 2019 - )
99. Stella Gonet
Actress | Spencer
Stella Gonet was born on May 8, 1960 in Greenock, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Spencer (2021), Nicholas Nickleby (2002) and How I Live Now (2013). She has been married to Nicholas Farrell since 2005. They have two children.
as Queen Elizabeth II in Spencer (2021)
100. Imelda Staunton
Actress | Vera Drake
Imelda Staunton is an English actress and singer from Archway, London. Her ancestry is primarily Irish. She has worked extensively in theater, and has won 4 Laurence Olivier Awards; 3 for leading roles and one for a supporting role. Her best known role in films has been the recurring villain ...
as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown (2022)
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