Helen Mirren- Actor of the Week

Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren is my actor of the week in a little nod to the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. This lady has done some pretty amazing period work in her illustrious career. Of Russian and British descent, Helen (born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironoff) has portrayed both QEI and QEII in film.

Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen

As the beloved Queen of England during one of her most trying times right after Princess Diana's death, Helen Mirren shone. I have seen this film perhaps three times now and each time I marvel at her skill as an actress. She certainly deserved the Oscar she won for The Queen. Helen famously commented that the Queen had much better legs than she has. That may be true but as for the rest of the package, that bathing suit photo a few years ago would tip the scale in Helen's favour!

Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth I- The Miniseries

In another powerful role as the original Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth I, she proves her gravitas again. She won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing the Virgin Queen in this miniseries. Looking at the photo above, I wouldn't mess with her, would you?

Helen Mirren as Sofya Tolstoy in The Last Station

Riding a roller coaster of emotion as Sofya Tolstoy, wife of Leo, she nabbed another well earned nomination for a lead actress Oscar for The Last Station. This one is a gem with Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff all adding to the wealth of talent in this film.

Helen Mirren as Ayn Rand in The Passion of Ayn Rand

Who better to portray the sexy yet smart Ayn Rand than Helen Mirren in The Passion of Ayn Rand? Of Russian extraction, she can do a Russian accent perfectly and the sexy/smart thing is in the bag. I haven't seen this one but it looks awesome!

Helen Mirren as Chris in Calendar Girls

I have to admit that Helen's role in Calendar Girls may be my favourite of her many wonderful films. This film is funny and touching and just highly entertaining. I drag it out every year or so. Ciarán Hinds as her husband is pretty easy on the eyes, as is the Yorkshire countryside. Oh, and did I mention that this one is really funny? Yes, I guess I did.

Helen Mirren as Mrs. Wilson in Gosford Park

Her role as Mrs. Wilson, the perfect servant, in Gosford Park may be a close second for my fave role of Dame Mirren's. A small but crucial part in this ensemble piece, Mrs. Wilson always has me crying at the end.

Helen Mirren as Detective Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect

Many viewers first got to know Helen Mirren as no-nonsense Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Jane Tennison in the long running ITV series Prime Suspect. Tough and yet still sexy is what Dame Helen does best. My sister's husband has seen all of the Prime Suspect episodes and I don't think it is entirely because of the storylines, wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know-what-I-mean, say no more!

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So hat's off to Helen Mirren. She is busy filming Hitchcock right now as Alma Reville (otherwise known as Lady Hitchcock) with Anthony Hopkins as the man himself and Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh (?!). I hope Dame Helen Mirren has many more wonderful films ahead of her. And just to prove that she really does have a sense of humour, Check out this short from 2011 called When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal and Helen Mirren on YouTube.