Helen Mirren

British actress, winner of an assortment of awards, best known in the US for her portrayal of the complex Jane Tennison, detective. Mirren was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth, has won an Academy Award for her role portraying Queen Elizabeth II, four SAG Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globes and Emmy awards as well. Mirren was born to a working class family and wanted to be an actress from her early years. In 1965 she made her stage debut at the Old Vic as a member of the National Youth Theatre. She played Cleopatra. Two years later she became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her career branched out into film as well and she racked up an impressive number of credits and awards for her work on stage and on the silver screen. But it wasn't until 1990 that she became nearly a household name in Britain and subsequently in the US. That was the first year of "Prime Suspect," a popular police series in which she played Detective Jane Tennison, a tough, smart, intense, fair-minded, persistent detective albeit one who bore her personal unhappiness on her remarkably expressive face. In 2006 she earned an Oscar for leading role in "The Queen" in which she played Queen Elizabeth II. She was made a Dame of the British Empire (DBE) in December 2003. After Mirren met director Taylor Hackford in 1986 they formed a deep and long-lasting relationship. They married on December 31, 1997, her first and his third. Link to Wikipedia biography