Photos Of Show Helen Mirren Was Gorgeous In Her Heyday

Jun 18, 2021

Dame Helen Mirren is one of the most respected actresses of all time, as she has starred in a number of astonishing films and television series over the many years of her career. Some of her most accomplished jobs over the years include her roles in “Antony and Cleopatra,” “The Queen,” and “Prime Suspect.” The actress is incredibly beloved worldwide, especially in the United States and in her home in the United Kingdom.

With plenty of awards and accolades under her belt for all of her extraordinary work and dedication to theater, film, and television, it’s no surprise that Mirren has become a household name. Many have grown accustomed to her bright hair and soft demeanor despite the impressive range she has portrayed in characters across the span of her career. Not only has she portrayed three different queens in both film and television, but Mirren herself has also been appointed a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II.

Mirren is now 75 years old and still looks absolutely beautiful. Her smile is as soft as ever, and her style is impeccable. Although Mirren has been able to stay so gorgeous both inside and out over the years, it’s hard not to remember how breathtaking she was during her prime. When Mirren first stepped onto the scene of the acting world, she was a showstopper with a wide range of talents and effervescent beauty. Even though there is no denying that Mirren has aged insanely well, nothing can compare to how she looked during her heyday.

Mirren was born on July 26, 1945, in London, England. She was the second of three children, with an older sister, Katherine, and a younger brother, Peter. Mirren is also cousins with Tania Mallet, who was known for being both a model and for playing the role of Tilly Masterson in the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger.”

At a young age, Mirren found a love and passion for acting and landed herself the lead role in her primary school’s production of “Hansel and Gretel.” She also performed in more school productions as she got older and attended St. Bernard’s High School for Girls. Furthering her education while still trying to make her dreams come true, Mirren attended the New College of Speech and Drama in London before finally auditioning for the National Youth Theatre at the age of 18. She was easily accepted into the program, and her career took off shortly after.

The National Youth Theatre provided Mirren with her breakthrough role as Cleopatra in the program’s production of “Antony and Cleopatra” when she was only 20 years old. This role put her on the map, and the rising star signed with Albert Parker, who was known for his work as a director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He worked in Hollywood, California, in the United States, but moved to England to work as a talent agent, which is when he took on Mirren as a client.

Mirren’s work with the theatre was especially great, and it led her to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. She quickly picked up more important roles with the company, including a part in “The Revenger’s Tragedy,” “All’s Well That Ends Well,” and “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Her work onstage carried her throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s.

The actress had begun catching the attention of others, and producer and director John Goldschmidt decided to make a documentary about her. “Doing Her Own Thing” was released in 1970 and focused on Mirren’s time spent with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the roles she was able to play because of her work there. In 1975, she continued her work with the company and played Lady Macbeth in a couple of productions of “Macbeth.”

The stage quickly became her home as Mirren never seemed to leave it during the rest of the 1970s and during much of the 1980s. Some of the plays she performed in during this time were “The Seagull,” “Measure for Measure,” “The Duchess of Malfi,” and “Elegy for a Lady.” Even after she had begun finding roles in movies and television, Mirren couldn’t help but return to her origins and performed as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Audience” in February 2013. Mirren even won the Best Actress in a Play award from the Laurence Olivier Awards in 2013 for her role. In 2015, she won her first-ever Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her part in “The Audience.”

As time continued to move forward, so did Mirren’s career. She continued to land incredible roles in plays and even made her Broadway debut at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre during a production of “A Month in the Country,” where she starred alongside John Hurt and Joseph Fiennes. Although she had been incredibly comfortable and successful acting in plays, Mirren was also in the process of finding success in both film and television.

Mirren’s career in film first started during the late 1960s with appearances in movies such as “Herostratus” in 1967 and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 1968. Her big break in this part of the industry came from her role in “The Long Good Friday” in 1980, where she starred opposite Bob Hoskins. The actress was unstoppable, as she had no problems finding more and more work as the years went by, and her career easily stayed steady until the new millennium.

The star’s first film of the 2000s was “Greenfingers,” a comedy based on a true story about the prisoners of HM Prison Leyhill, where Mirren played a plantswoman who helped teach some of the prisoners about gardening. Mirren was hard at work around this time, as she also starred in Sean Penn’s “The Pledge” and Hal Hartley’s “No Such Thing.” Finally receiving rave reviews and critical and commercial success, Mirren was on top of the world with the release of the mystery film “Gosford Park” in 2001. The movie itself received plenty of award nominations, and Mirren herself took home her first Screen Actors Guild Award.

While she has played plenty of important roles over the years, Mirren has also shown off more of her talents and personality with some more kid-friendly parts as well. For instance, the hardworking actress lent her voice to “Monsters University” in 2013, a follow-up movie to Pixar’s “Monsters, Inc.” In the film, Mirren voiced the character of Dean Abigail Hardscrabble, one of the most frightening monsters in the bunch.

“Prime Suspect” is one of the most notable TV shows that Mirren has acted in. Her role as detective Jane Tennison has helped her receive even more widespread recognition and has earned her three BAFTA Awards, which she won consecutively. Her career on television has been strong over the years; Mirren has not dedicated as much time to the small screen as she has to the stage and the silver screen. Some of the other shows Mirren has appeared in include “Oresteia” in 1979, “BBC2 Playhouse” in 1981, and “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone” in 2003. Mirren also hosted Saturday Night Live in April 2011.

Over the course of her career, Mirren has portrayed a handful of British royal family members and has truly shown off her impressive range as an actress. Her first performance as a queen was in 1994 with her portrayal of Charlotte in “The Madness of King George.” In 2005, she portrayed Elizabeth I in the television series “Elizabeth I,” which was shortly followed by her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen” in 2006. As of now, Mirren is the only actress that has played both Queens Elizabeth onscreen.

Fans and critics alike were all wonderfully fond of the star’s performance. Mirren received the royal treatment for all of her hard work in these various films and television series, as she won numerous awards for the roles. Her leading role in “The Queen” earned her a BAFTA, Golden Globe, Academy Award, and plenty of other awards.

One of the most accomplished acts an actor can do is receive the Triple Crown of Acting, a term used in the American entertainment industry to describe those who have won the most prestigious awards, such as an Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award. In British Entertainment, this can be achieved with the equivalent accolades in that industry, which include awards from the BAFTA Film Awards, BAFTA Television Awards, and the Laurence Olivier Awards.

Some actors that have achieved this include Al Pacino, Jessica Lange, and Viola Davis. Mirren is the only actor or actress in history to have completed both the American and British Triple Crowns. Out of the 18 nominations she’s received that fall in the Triple Crown categories, Mirren has won six of them: four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie in both 1996, 1999, 2006, and 2007, an Academy Award for Best Actress in 2007, and a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in 2015.

During an interview with Elle Magazine in June 2016, Mirren expressed her love for the entertainment industry, specifically her work in film over the many years of her career. “Film is a wonderful thing and it can be so many different things,” she explained. “I don’t want to turn my back on any of the different ways movies can be.” While she has been a star of many movies, Mirren also talked about how much she enjoys watching them as a fan. “I love the movies,” she said.

“I love going to the films. I like very serious films, I love foreign films, and I love big, fun movies -- as long as they’re well made and they’ve got good scripts. That’s the most important thing.”

While it seems like Mirren has never taken a break from her job, the actress has still somehow found time to search for love and has also taken some important steps for her personal and professional life. She met American director Taylor Hackford on the set of the 1985 film “White Nights,” and the two began dating in 1986. After more than ten years together, the couple tied the knot on Dec. 31, 1997, at the Ardersier Old Parish Church in the Scottish highlands. While Hackford has two children from his previous marriages, he and Mirren have none together. 

At the Queen’s 2003 Birthday Honours, Mirren was appointed a Dame for her services to drama. After being married to an American for 20 years, Mirren finally applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship in 2017. Some more of her achievements include receiving her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2013 and the BAFTA Fellowship in 2014.

While Mirren’s talents put her on the map, the actress is also known for being extremely beautiful. Today, she is 75 years old and looks absolutely amazing, but there is no denying her breathtaking beauty from her heyday. Despite her incredible looks, Mirren doesn’t view herself as such and has even expressed distaste for the concept. 

“I am not beautiful,” she said during an interview with Glamour Magazine in March 2020. She went on to explain how there are plenty of beautiful people in the world, both men and women, but she didn’t put herself in that category. “The rest of us, 95% of us, are not in that category, but we’re in other categories: interesting, funny, smart, brave, inspirational,” Mirren said.

One of Mirren’s favorite activities to do is put on makeup and play around with different looks. “I find it rather meditative,” she told Fashion Magazine. “I love playing with different products.” Mirren loves beauty products so much that she has even credited them as part of the reason why she became an actress, “because professionally I’ve had to wear it,” she explained. 

However, she stuck by her morals and expressed her disdain for the word beauty. “I’ve always had a bit of an issue with the word beauty,” she said. “It used to be that you only saw very beautiful people advertising beauty products. And so people like me, and billions of other people like me, felt shut out.” Despite this, Mirren is still a fan of beauty and wellness products. 

“Makeup and hand lotion, skin care and great hair products can make you feel terrific and look clean and fresh and energetic and wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, which is much more important than looking beautiful,” she said.

Mirren has been a real force to be reckoned with as she has held strong to her morals and personal viewpoints over the course of her career. She has continued to land great roles on Broadway and in film and television. The love for the actress is evident with the numerous awards and accolades she’s received. Her down-to-earth nature and honest personality have made her a favorite among both fans and critics. On top of all of this, Mirren has continued to be a beautiful person, both inside and out, from her prime until now.

What do you think about Helen Mirren’s career? Were you amazed at the pictures of the star during her prime? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your family and friends.