Helen Mirren

Not only is Helen Mirren one of the world’s most renowned actresses, she was also one of the youngest ever to join the famed Royal Shakespeare Company. Over the decades, her charisma, expressiveness, and range as an actress have been amply demonstrated in a wide variety of genres. Among the many accolades Mirren has received, she won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Actress and Golden Globe for her performance in ‘The Queen’. In addition to many international film prizes, her stage work has also been honoured with the leading theatre tributes – the Olivier Award, Tony and Drama Desk Awards. Helen Mirren has a unique acting style that allows her to feel at home in both British and American cinema, making it possible to work with auteur filmmakers, who have clearly defined styles such as Robert Altman or Paul Schrader, and acting in big US action films.

In ‘The Last Station’ (G/GB/RUS, 2009), directed by Michael Hoffmann, she played Leo Tolstoy’s wife Sofya. She was at the Berlinale in 2015, alongside co-star Ryan Reynolds, with ‘Woman in Gold’ (USA, directed by Simon Curtis). Since then, she has appeared onscreen in ‘Eye in the Sky’ (GB, 2015, directed by Gavin Hood) and ‘The Leisure Seeker’ (FR/IT, 2017, directed by Paolo Virzì) among others. Mirren gives another terrific performance in the thriller ‘The Good Liar’ (USA, directed by Bill Condon), co-starring with Ian McKellen, which recently opened theatrically in Germany and will also be shown in the Homage section.