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Queen of the Screen: Helen Mirren’s Incredible Journey to Becoming Hollywood Royalty

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Helen Mirren is one of the most well-respected and successful actresses in the world today. With an impressive resume across film, TV and theater, Mirren has become synonymous with high-quality character and dramatic acting.

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But in her early years, she had to fend off a great deal of criticism and dismissal thanks to her looks—because she was regarded as too voluptuous to be taken seriously!

Let’s take a look at Mirren’s incredible rise to fame, and how she rose above some of the most infamous sexist comments in history, to become the internationally acclaimed dramatic actress she is today.

A Star is Born

Helen Mirren was born on July 26, 1945, in Chiswick, London, England. Mirren’s birth name was in fact Illiana Lydia Petrovna Mironova—because her father, Vasiliy Petrovich Mironov, was originally Russian, having arrived in the U.K. at the age of two. In fact, the Mironovs were prominent members of the Russian aristocracy.

So grandeur was in Mirren’s blood—but no one had any idea just how much she would come to embody royal roles later in her life, in movies that would make her a global superstar.

Mini Mirren

As Mirren grew up in London, she drew on her parents’ professions for her inspiration and creative outlet.

Her father initially was a viola player with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, before leaving to become a taxi driver and driving test examiner, and a Ministry of Transport civil servant. Her mother, Kathleen Rogers, came from a family of butchers—who in fact supplied meat to Queen Victoria!

Yet again, Mirren grew up with a royal influence that would come to define her career—in more ways than one.

All Change

It’s probably pretty surprising for you to learn that Helen Mirren was born to a Russian father and originally had such a Russian-sounding birth name. After all, she would one day grow up to become one of the quintessential British actresses, representing old-fashioned and royal grace and charm in so many of her classic movies and stage shows.

Well, that’s partly because when Mirren was 9 years old, her father decided to anglicize their surname—taking Mironov to the more English-sounding “Mirren”. And so Iliana Mironova became Helen Mirren—and the name of Britain’s future biggest star was born.

Big Dreams

Even from an early age, the young Mirren knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the arts. It was at the age of 13, watching a production of Hamlet on stage, that she decided she wanted to become an actress.

"I was blown away by all this over-the-top drama," she said to The Times. "We grew up without TV and never went to the cinema, so after Hamlet, all I wanted to do was get back into that world where all those fabulous things were possible."

But she had no idea just how fabulous—and famous—she would one day become.

Parental Pressure

Even though Mirren knew that a career as an actress was her true ambition, this wasn’t the path expected of her by her parents—who wanted her to pursue a more traditional professional path.

They sent her to a catholic school by the seasise, St. Bernard’s High School in Southend-on-Sea. While she was there, her English teacher noticed her incredible acting talent, and encouraged her to audition for the National Youth Theatre. Mirren auditioned and was accepted by the group—but her parents had other ideas.

Those Who Can’t

Even though Mirren knew she wanted to be an actress more than anything, her parents insisted that she followed a more traditional and stable career path.

Despite the fact that she had been accepted to the prestigious National Youth Theatre, they refused to let her join the troupe, encouraging her instead to head to further education.

And so Mirren enrolled into a teacher training course to keep her parents happy—but she knew where her real ambitions and destiny lay.

Treading the Boards

Despite her parents’ reticence at her entering the world of theater, Mirren could not stay away from the stage for long, and by the age of 20 she had secured the lead role in the stage show of Shakespeare’s Anthony and Cleopatra.

Her performance was so good that it led to her securing an agent and a place with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Parts in productions such as The Revenger's Tragedy Troilus and Cressida and MacBeth followed, winning her great critical acclaim.

But they also won her a different kind of attention—one not entirely welcome…

Risque Reputation

Even though Mirren was taking on high-brow and critically acclaimed roles, becoming a reputable Shakespearean actress, many audiences and critics began taking notice of her looks as well as her talent.

Mirren was so beautiful and brought an innate sex appeal to each of her roles, that people began noticing her more for her appearance than for her acting skills!

Around this time she became known as “The Sex Queen of Stratford”, a title that would come to irritate and amuse her in equal measure.

Staying Spiritual

As Mirren’s fame and reputation continued to increase, she began to look for other sources of inspiration to keep herself grounded and at peace despite the craziness unfolding all around her.

During this time, she travelled the world and found meaning in a Mayan phrase “In La’kesh.” She liked it so much that she had it tattooed on her left hand!

“’In La’Kesh’ means ‘You are my other self. We are one. I am another yourself.’ In other words, ‘We’re all in this together,’” Mirren explains. “Remember that, so that you can make some sense out of and fix this crazy, crazy world.”

And things were only about to get crazier.

Saucy Scenes

Even though Mirren was bemused by her increasing reputation as a sex symbol despite her undoubtable skill as a serious actress, she didn’t let this stop her taking on the roles that she wanted to do.

In 1980 she starred in the lavish historical movie Caligula, a stunning—and rather saucy—depiction of Ancient Rome. The movie was a bit of a flop, but continued to raise Mirren’s reputation—both in her talent and her beauty.

But the focus on the actress’s appearance was about to culminate in one particular interview that would become infamous in TV history.

Shrugging Off Sexism

Helen Mirren saw no reason that her natural talent as an actress should be precluded by her appearing beautiful. But in one infamous interview in 1975, talk show Michael Parkinson quizzed her on whether she might be too sexy to be taken seriously.

Mirren hit headlines with her cool and composed approach, rubbishing the notion that sex appeal is in any way opposed to being talented or respectable.

"Because serious actresses can't have big bosoms, is that what you mean?" she challenged Parkinson over his sexist comments—to cheers from the crowd.

No Nonsense

As Parkinson continued to try and suggest that a woman could not be both talented and beautiful, the young star refused to take any of his nonsense.

"I think it might detract from the performance," Parkinson said of her beauty. "If you know what I mean."

"I can't say that would necessarily be true," Mirren replied coolly. "I mean, what a crummy performance if people are obsessed with the size of your bosom over anything else. I would hope that the performance and the play and the living relationship between all the people on the stage and all the people in the audience would overcome such … boring questions, really."

Famous Fight

Mirren’s calm and dignified response to Michael Parkinson’s sexist comments have become the stuff of TV legend. Mirren herself revealed that though she is incredibly proud today of how she reacted, at the time she actually felt very uncomfortable.

"I have to say, I didn't realize how impressive I'd been," she said to Glamor magazine. "I was really, really good!" Later, she adds, "I didn't look nervous, weirdly, but my heart was pounding. I was terrified."

And in fact, it turned out that she had good reason to be nervous about standing up to him.

Ahead of Her Time

Even though nowadays it is pretty obvious that Michael Parkinson’s interview questions were inappropriate and downright sexist, the truth was that back in the 70s, a lot of people were holding onto the same prejudices—and actually blaming Mirren for not responding properly!

"The response in general was, 'How could you be so argumentative and difficult?'” Mirren said, remembering the backlash she received for defending herself. “But I wasn't—I kept my good humor and my temper. I thought I actually handled it well."

Movie Star

Despite the controversy around her infamous interview with Parkinson, Mirren didn’t let this stop her from continuing to deliver increasingly praised and critically acclaimed movie roles.

In 1979 she received widespread praise for her role in the gangster movie The Long Good Friday, and in 1981 she starred in the equally successful Arthurian fantasy Excalibur.

But Mirren came away with more than just praise for her work on Excalibur—she also found love on the set of the iconic movie.

Shacking Up

While Mirren was working on the 1981 movie Excalibur, she not only honed her acting skills even more and built up her experience, but she also enriched her life with something of a more personal nature.

Because it was on the set of this movie that she met fellow actor Liam Neeson. The two quickly got together, and eventually moved in together.

“We didn’t (just) date,” Mirren revealed in an interview with Graham Norton. “We lived together for four years–we were a serious item for a while. Lucky me!”

Award Winner

And it wasn’t just her love life that was looking brilliant and successful during this time. The early 1980s saw a huge soar in fame and critical acclaim for the talented actress—and in 1984 she starred in her first award winning role in the movie Cal.

Mirren’s performance won her the Cannes Film Festival prize for Best Actress, as well as a British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award.

But despite her soaring career, her romance behind the scenes was beginning to go sour.

Labor of Love

Even though Mirren was becoming increasingly successful and adding a host of prestigious awards to her cabinet, sadly her romance with Liam Neeson came to an end after living together for four years.

Though she must have been heartbroken by the split, Mirren embodied the spirit of the phrase “the show must go on”, and went on to star in the movie White Nights in 1985.

Little did she know that this movie would lead her to her own white knight—in more ways than one.

New Man

While Mirren was filming the classic 1985 movie White Nights, it wasn’t just her acting ability and stunning beauty that was getting her noticed.

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Though she was always well-known for getting on well with her co-stars, Mirren struck up a particularly strong bond with director Taylor Hackford—and before they knew it, one thing had led to the other, and the two were very much in love.

They soon became inseparable and rumors began to fly that wedding bells were soon on the horizon—but Mirren had a very different take on that idea.

Ignoring Expectations

As Mirren and Hackford were clearly very much in love, everyone began to wonder when they would finally make it official and announce they were tying the knot.

But the stunning star, always one to ignore expectations and live for her own desires, was incredibly open and frank about not having any desire to get married.

Though the two continued to live together and spend many happy years as a couple, fans began to accept that they would simply never marry.

Little did they know what the celeb power couple would announce many years later.

TV Totty

By this time, Helen Mirren was a bona fide mega star across all types of media—film, TV, and stage acting. But it was her next role that would truly come to define her career and cement her as one of the most respected actresses of her generation.

That role was the part of Detective Inspector Jane Tennison on British crime drama mystery series Prime Suspect. The show ran from 1992 to 1996—and won Mirren a whopping five BAFTA awards during that time.

Marriage Matters

Despite insisting for so many years that she was not interested in marriage, and was perfectly happy continuing to live with her partner without tying the knot, Mirren surprised fans around the world when she announced she had wed her long-term love, director Taylor Hackford on New Year’s Eve of 1997.

Over ten years since first getting together, the couple finally had decided to make it official. So just what had changed Mirren’s mind about getting married after all these years?

Making it Official

Mirren spoke out in her typical no-nonsense way about the reasons behind her finally deciding to get married.

"We got married in the end because we realized that we were going to be together forever," she said to AARP magazine. "We got married, ultimately, for legal reasons more than anything else. Estate planning and other complicated things like that. And our families, we sensed, wanted us to be married … I always said I have nothing against marriage. It just wasn't to my taste, like turnips. It took me a very long time to come around to acquiring the taste. I just had to meet the right turnip."

No Maternal Instinct Whatsoever

Having been resolute for so many years about not wanting to get married, Mirren surprised everyone when she and Hackford finally tied the knot. So, the next question on everyone’s lips was—were the couple about to welcome a child together?

"I'm just not interested,” she said to Contact Music. “I've no maternal instinct whatsoever. And I don't think I'm so unusual. I think an awful lot of women don't really want children but feel they ought to. They think there's something wrong with them if they don't want to, but it's not true."

Not for Me

Mirren was keen to stress that though she didn’t have any desire to have children, it wasn’t because she didn’t love or appreciate the joy of spending time with young people—it was simply that motherhood wasn’t for her.

"I'm so happy I don't have children,” she said. “But I do love children and I've got family, and Taylor has children that I'm involved with—and with great pleasure—but it's just not for me."

However, she did reveal that there was one movie moment that called her decision into question.

A Moment of Regret

Though she remained steadfast in her decision to have children, Mirren did open up about one moment where she regretted it.

“When I watched the movie, Parenthood, I sobbed for about 20 minutes,” she revealed to The Sunday Times. “It was about the whole story of being a parent and how it never stops, even when you're a grandparent. I realized I would never experience that, and for about 20 minutes, I sobbed for the loss of that and the fact that I never experienced it … Then I got over it and I was happy again.”

Queen of the Screen

Despite the media fascination with her personal life, Mirren continued to focus on her career, winning continued praise and acclaim for roles in widely lauded movies such as 1996’s The Madness of King George and 2001’s Gosford Park.

Mirren received her second Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as nominations for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award—but back in her home country, she was about to receive a royal recognition of the very highest order.

Dame Diva

By 2003, Helen Mirren had won a string of prestigious acting awards and nominations. But a huge moment even for her came when she was recognized by the Queen of England for her contribution to the world of cinema—being named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II.

“In England, it's a big deal,” said the newly minted Dame Helen Mirren. “I do feel it's a great honor. But I had to think about it quite seriously for a couple of weeks. It does sort of squash you into the establishment thing. In the end, my baser feelings got the better of me. I succumbed to pride.”

Birthday Suit

After receiving one of her nation’s highest honors from the Queen of England herself, Dame Helen Mirren then won another, much more unusual award—but one of the ones she feels most proud of.

In 2004, British Naturism named her “Naturist of the Year”. That’s right—Dame Helen Mirren is a nudist!

"Many thanks to British Naturism for this great honor,” she said in an official statement. “I do believe in naturism and am my happiest on a nude beach with people of all ages and races!".

Only Helen Mirren could pull off receiving honors from both Buckingham Palace and a nudist organization—but her royal connections were about to be taken to the next level.

Royal Reception

Having already been made an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II, Dame Helen Mirren was pretty familiar with the queen and the royal family. But her next role would take her royal reputation to even higher levels—starring as the very same monarch who had bestowed her highest honor, Mirren appeared in 2007’s The Queen as Queen Elizabeth II.

For her incredible performance, Mirren finally won the Academy Award for Best Actress, as well as the Golden Globe.

But her royal related successes in the movie industry wouldn’t end there.

Another Elizabeth

Hot on the heels of her mega success playing Queen Elizabeth II, Mirren then turned her attention to another famous Queen of England with the same name—the renowned Virgin Queen, aka Elizabeth I.

Mirren starred as the legendary monarch in the HBO movie Elizabeth I, for which she received great critical acclaim—as well as winning both a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. Not only beloved by the Queen, but clearly, Helen Mirren is the absolute queen of playing queens!

But this Hollywood royalty’s next move would surprise everyone.

Fast and Furious

Even though Helen Mirren had gained a name for herself as a respected serious actress, that didn't mean she wasn't up for taking roles completely outside of her comfort zone.

That’s why, in 2017, she decided to take a completely different career move, and join the mega-successful action-packed car movie franchise Fast & Furious.

And she went about securing this role in a typically Mirren fashion: "I was at an Oscar party a few years back,” remembers star and producer Vin Diesel. “And she came up to me and said, 'I want to be in your next Fast and the Furious movie. I've been telling everybody in town that I want to work with you.'"

Making Space

Even though there was no specific part in the movie for Mirren to play, Diesel knew that he had to jump at the chance at having such a beloved and legendary actress join his franchise.

"There was no role written for her, but it didn't matter,” Diesel said to Glamor magazine. “We just fell in love with each other so quickly that I called the writer and the director to my house."

Sure enough, together the three of them sat down and created a brand-new role especially for Mirren—she starred as Magdalene Shaw, the formidable matriarch of the Shaw family and mother of Deckard, Hattie, and Owen Shaw.

Best Buds

Vin Diesel and Helen Mirren don't exactly sound like a match made in heaven, with one being a classically trained Shakespearean actress and the other being a shaven-headed beefcake. But in fact, once they started working together, they formed an unlikely and beautiful friendship.

"She is one of the few people in my life that I take every opportunity to celebrate, acknowledge, and scream to the world how much I love her," Diesel gushed of her. "When I'm in her presence, I can't help but see the magic and innocence of a child. It's such an important thing for an artist to maintain, and so few can. It's one of the most beautiful things about her."

Girl Online

And it’s not just mutual love and appreciation that Diesel and Mirren found together in their new and unlikely friendship. The action man also helped launched the now 70-something aged star to take the plunge into social media.

Diesel is the man responsible for setting Helen Mirren up on Instagram, where she now cuts a pretty impressive social media presence.

Though she originally wasn't a huge fan of the platform, in hindsight Mirren now sees how it can help emphasize the values she has held dear throughout the course of her entire acting career.

Mirren Too

Though Mirren’s infamous interview with Michael Parkinson was all the way back in the 1970s, she found the video making headlines once again when it came back to the spotlight in the wake of the “MeToo” movement. The power of this movement and the use of social media to amplify it was, to Mirren, the culmination of many long years of struggling for women to be treated fairly in the industry.

"I've always had a very heightened sense of fairness. And as I grew to adulthood, I realized how appallingly unfair the world was for women," she says. "It's really great that young women today can look at that interview and be shocked by it."

Woman Power

Throughout her career, Mirren has had to deal with people dismissing her talent and respectability because she is deemed as too sexy—but she has remained resolute in owning both aspects of her powerful presence.

"I want roles that reflect women well as a sex, that don't demean or undercut them, or make them feel shitty when they watch it," she said. "In essence, I'm still hoping to reflect women onscreen and in the theater the way I hoped to do in that interview with Michael Parkinson all those years ago."

No Regrets

From her bold rebuttal of Parkinson in his shocking interview, to her saucy scenes in the now-infamous Caligula, or switching from Shakespearean stage acting to jumping on the Fast & Furious bandwagon, Helen Mirren has never shied away from following her instinct and taking roles outside of her comfort zone.

"I made some bold and quite brave moves at various times in my life,” she admitted. “Maybe slightly professionally suicidal moves. But I don't regret any of it. I always try to make the tapestry of my work as broad as possible. To me, the most successful way to conduct my professional life is to constantly search out new and different things to do."

An Icon of Our Times

There is no denying that Helen Mirren is a true icon of our times. In a career spanning a whopping seven decades, she has moved, delighted, shocked, and amused us throughout both her acting roles and her choices in her personal life.

Having won the triple crown of acting—an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award—and fans across the world of all ages, not to mention a damehood, Mirren is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished and recognized actresses of all time.

But despite all this, she retains her characteristic good humor and realism—just how does she manage to stay so grounded despite her star status?

Keeping it Real

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For Mirren, remaining humble and down-to-earth is as natural to her as living and breathing. As well as constantly following her own desires and making no apologies for her presence as a woman, Mirren revealed that she also doesn't dwell too heavily on her own ego.

"Patting yourself on the back is not very productive," she said to Glamour. "I'm proud of certain projects—they're all my babies in one way or another—but I don't dwell on my past achievements. I dwell on future achievements."

Well we for one can’t wait to see what those future achievements will be. Whatever Helen Mirren does next, we know she will continue to be an inspiration to us all.

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