Helen Mirren

Biography: Helen Mirren began as Ilyena Mironoff, having been born in England into a Russian family. Her grandfather was a Russian diplomat who was in London to buy arms for the Russians in 1917 when the October Revolution happened, and he decided to stay on, and his family joined him in London. Helen\'s great-great-great-great-grandfather was Field-Marshal Kamensky, a famous Russian general of the Napoleonic wars. She began as a stage actress with Britain's National Youth Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, moving on to films and television. She starred as a police inspector in the show Prime Suspect. Helen has lived with director Taylor Hackford in Los Angeles since 1986, and they were married in 1997. She became Dame Helen in 2003, when she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours, and is also an Associate Member of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). GOLDEN GLOBE WINS AND NOMINATIONS: Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV: Losing Chase (1996) (nomination) The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999) (win) The Roman Spring of Mrs.Stone (2003) (nomination) Door to Door (2002) (nomination) Elizabeth I (2005) (win) Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act (2006) (nomination) Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture: Gosford Park (2001) (nomination) Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy: Calendar Girls (2003) (nomination) Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: The Queen (2006) (win) PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD WINS AND NOMINATIONS FOR OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR SPECIAl: Prime Suspect 2 (1992) (nomination) Prime Suspect 3 (1993) (nomination) Prime Suspect 4: Scent of Darkness (1995) (win) Prime Suspect 5: Errors Of Judgement (1996) (nomination) The Passion of Ayn Rand (1999) (win) Door to Door (2002) (supporting) (nomination) The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone (2003) (nomination) Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness (2003) (nomination) Elizabeth I (2006) (win) Prime Suspect: The Final Act (2007) (win) ACADEMY AWARD WINS AND NOMINATIONS: Best Supporting Actress: The Madness of King George (1994) (nomination) Gosford Park (2001) (nomination) Best Actress: The Queen (2006) (win) TONY AWARD NOMINATIONS FOR BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY: A Month in the Country (1995) Dance of Death (2002) … Expand