Welcome to The Helen Mirren Archives, your premiere web resource on the British actress. Best known for her performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, "Prime Suspect" and her Oscar-winning role in "The Queen", Helen Mirren is one of the world's most eminent actors today. This unofficial fansite provides you with all latest news, photos and videos on her past and present projects.  Enjoy your stay.
Celebrating
10 years
on the web
Aug
13
2022

“Give A Doubt” comes after new research by Cadbury revealed that over 74% of the nation’s 18–30 year olds are facing daily concerns around their future, with 34% having no confidence that they will be able to meet their personal and professional goals. Following the success of ‘Donate Your Words’ which sought to raise awareness of loneliness amongst older people, “Give A Doubt” seeks to tackle the record number of young people in the U.K. who are struggling with self-doubt every day, by asking the nation to “Give A Doubt”, open up, be more vulnerable and share their personal experiences of doubt. Cadbury believes that there is generosity in everyone and ‘Give A Doubt’ taps into this spirit. From Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren to BAFTA winner Big Zuu, and from five-time gold Paralympic medalist Ellie Simmonds, to national football icon Ian Wright, the celebrities stretch across a range of varying industries and across different age groups to share their most powerful doubts. The campaign video was originally released on May 16, 2022 and can be watched below.

Related Media

Video Archive – Miscellaneous – Give a Doubt (2022)
Photo Gallery – Television & Online Appearances – 2022 – Give a Doubt (May 16, 2022)

Aug
09
2022

Helen Mirren was a special guest on last Wednesday’s “Luci nel bosco” festival in the wood-garden of Palazzo Baronale Serafini-Sauli in Tiggiano, in the heart of Salento, in the province of Lecce. Organized by Associazione Cinema del Reale, OfficinaVisioni and Big Sur with the contribution of the Municipality, Mirren told of the his love for Salento and the urgency to safeguard nature: “I grew up witnessing the phenomenon of consumerism and the consequences this has had on our society”, she said, “we are so lucky to be in Tiggiano, where the local administration and organizations such as Cinema del Reale they fight to defend the environment. I arrived here 16 years ago and I was able to immediately witness the growth of attention that not only in this country but in various municipalities of Salento is towards the environment. I think that each of us human beings, like animals, can instinctively understand the importance of protecting it. I have faith in young people. I think they can find methods, ways and ideas to preserve it more and more ”. Pictures from the event have been added to the photo gallery (credit to Cinema del reale, Martina Leo).

Related Media

Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2022 – Luci nel bosco – Night of Cinema, Arts & Nature

Aug
06
2022

“Now, more than ever, the world needs Documentary Now!,” says Helen Mirren in a 15-second teaser for the cinéaste spoof series’ 53rd season (which, in our extradiegetic reality, is really only season four). The season will kick off with the two-parter “Soldier of Illusion,” a Werner Herzog parody written by John Mulaney and starring Alexander Skarsgård as a German documentarian in the early 1980s trying to “will his magnum opus into existence while working in the remote, punishing conditions of the Russian Ular mountains.” The other newly announced title is “Trouver Frisson,” an homage to Agnès Varda films like The Gleaners and I and The Beaches of Agnès, starring Call My Agent!’s Liliane Rovère as “celebrated French filmmaker Ida Leos” as she “searches for why she no longer experiences ‘frisson.’” The other three episodes that have previously been announced for this season include “My Monkey Grifter,” a My Octopus Teacher riff starring Jamie Demetriou, whose comedic persona is already “this man could definitely be outwitted by a monkey”; “Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport,” a fusion of The September Issue and Three Salons at the Seaside starring Cate Blanchett in her grand Documentary Now! return; and “How They Threw Rocks,” a quirky sports doc chock-full of Welsh icons including Jonathan Pryce, John Rhys-Davies, and Tom Jones. Those last three were all written by Seth Meyers, who helms the series along with Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Rhys Thomas. Documentary Now! season 53 premieres on IFC and AMC+ on Wednesday, October 19, at 10 p.m.

Aug
06
2022

Helen Mirren covers this week’s Sunday Life supplement of The Sydney Morning Herald. The interview, focusing on her fashion choices, can be read online in its entirity. These days, the word “influencer” gets bandied around a lot, a catch-all term for anyone trying to get noticed on social media. But if you want to see a real influencer, take one look at Helen Mirren, who at 77 has more fashion- and beauty-industry clout than most young Insta stars could ever dream of. Sitting across from me via a screen – Helen is in Cannes, I’m in London – wearing a slim-cut, round-neck green dress with her hair slicked back in a modern ponytail, she looks every inch an idol. The actor has the sort of presence and confidence that is alluring in anyone, whether 17 or 70.

I don’t have the easiest shape to deal with. I’m not tall or slim, I’m curvy and short, so only certain things look good and some very edgy things just don’t work. And that’s fine. There are people whose style I love but wouldn’t necessarily try to emulate because everyone’s different. I love Helena Bonham Carter’s fashion sense, and how Kristen Stewart dresses. Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett have great style, too. They’re all women who really push the boat out – and that’s something I admire. (Helen Mirren, The Sydney Morning Herald, August 07, 2022)

Jul
23
2022

The first full trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods has just landed online, giving us a glimpse of Dame Helen Mirren in action as one of the film’s central villains. In the new DC Extended Universe film, coming to cinemas this December, Mirren plays Hespera, one of the daughters of Atlas along with Kalypso, played by Lucy Liu, who make up the film’s central villains. They’ll take on Zachary Levi’s returning hero Billy Batson/Shazam, who is seen in the trailer struggling to bring his ‘Shazamily’ of super-powered foster siblings together, while still indulging in the fun of being a boy in a superhero’s body. The trailer was released during Warner Bros Theatrical’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, which also saw an appearance from Johnson dressed as Black Adam to hype up the crowd. In a message recorded with Zegler for the panel, Mirren said she “absolutely loved playing Hespera” and that she’s “such a delightful baddie and a bad ass”. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be released in cinemas on 21st December 2022.

Related Media

Photo Gallery – Career – Shazan: Fury of the Gods – Screencaptures – Theatrical Trailer

Jul
23
2022

Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford have spent their busy weekend in Puglia, Italy, where they received the Attestato di Benemerenza “for having restored an ancient farmhouse and having contributed to the enhancement of the period and historical architectural and real estate heritage of Puglia”. The award was given during the event organized in Santa Maria di Leuca by the Italian Legend Club , the club promoted by Assocastelli to combine historic motoring with the historic and historical architectural and real estate heritage, chaired by Flavio Greco. Later in the evening, Helen was a guest at the opening of Santa Maria’s monumental waterfall. Pictures and screencaptures from the media coverage of both events have been added to the photo gallery.

Related Media

Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2022 – Attestato di Benemerenza at Legend Club Italiano
Photo Gallery – TV & Online Appearances – 2022 – Antenna Sud (July 22, 2022)

Jul
21
2022

Accompanying her appearance on The South Bank Show next Wednesday (27th July), Helen Mirren sat down with the series’ host Melvyn Bragg for an interview in this week’s Radio Times magazine as the latest issue’s cover star. In the interview, the pair talk about insecurities, Mirren’s Russian aristocratic heritage and what she really thinks of the Queen having played her in 2006. As part of the conversation, Mirren reveals that she wrote to the monarch before taking part in The Queen. She says: “I realised we were investigating a profoundly painful part of her life, so I wrote to her. How do you write to your queen? Was it Madam, or Your Highness, or Your Majesty? I said, ‘We are doing this film. We are investigating a very difficult time in your life. I hope it’s not too awful for you.’ “I can’t remember how I put it. I just said that in my research I found myself with a growing respect for her, and I just wanted to say that. She didn’t write back, of course, but her secretary did. You know, ‘Yours sincerely, da di da di da,’ on behalf of the Queen. I was very relieved subsequently that I had written that letter.”

Related Media

Photo Gallery – Articles & Magazine Scans – Radio Times (United Kingdom, July 23, 2022)

Jul
21
2022

According to Digital Spy, new set photos from the set of Fast X have confirmed that Dame Helen Mirren will reprise her role in the street racing action franchise. Mirren will play Magdalene ‘Queenie’ Shaw once again, as confirmed in filming photos with Fast & Furious protagonist Vin Diesel, who plays Dom Toretto. The two actors were photographed as they filmed scenes for the upcoming movie at the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome. Mirren first appeared in the role of criminal mastermind Queenie – the mother of Owen and Deckard Shaw – in 2017, with an uncredited cameo in The Fate of the Furious. She reprised the role in Hobbs & Shaw and F9 and was expected to return in Fast X, but her involvement hadn’t been officially confirmed until now. The tenth film in the main franchise, Fast X is directed by Louis Leterrier, from a script that’s been written by Fast & Furious director Justin Lin and Dan Mazeau. Alongside Diesel and Mirren, the film will star Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, Tyrese Gibson as Roman, Ludacris as Tej, Jordana Brewster as Mia, Charlize Theron as villain Cipher, and Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey. Fast X has also welcomed a few newcomers to this new instalment, namely The Suicide Squad’s Daniela Melchior, Captain Marvel star Brie Larson, and Titans’ Alan Ritchson, cast in undisclosed roles. Fast X is out in cinemas on May 19, 2023.

Jul
20
2022

It seems Helen Mirren receives an honor for her contribution to her designated second home region in Italy every time she sets foot in Puglia for the Summer Holidays. On July 13, Helen received the Inaugural Hypogeum Prize by the association of the same name for her cultural contribution to the region of Presicce and Puglia. Pictures from the event have been added, alongside a news report from RAI and accompanying screencaptures. Enjoy.

Related Media

Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2022 – Inaugural Hypogeum Prize
Photo Gallery – TV & Online Appearances – TGR Puglia (July 13, 2022)
Video Archive – News Segments – TGR Puglia (2022)

Jul
11
2022

This weekend, Dolce & Gabbana took over Siracusa’s main Piazza Duomo for the 10th anniversary of their fashion extravaganza. The label’s version of haute couture – called Alta Moda for women’s wear and Alta Sartoria for men’s – is being held in Sicily this season, where Domenico Dolce grew up. Known for their grand and lavish scale that slowly unfurl over the course of three days, Dolce & Gabbana’s Alta Moda events showcase remarkable, one-of-a-kind high jewellery creations, as well as men’s and women’s unique couture. Helen Mirren has been a guest to all four of their functions. Pictures from the festivities have been added to the photo gallery.

Related Media

Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2022 – Alta Moda 2022 – Alta Gioielleria Presentation
Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2022 – Alta Moda 2022 – Alta Sartoria Men’s Show
Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2022 – Alta Moda 2022 – Women’s Show
Photo Gallery – Public Appearances – 2022 – Alta Moda 2022 – Women’s Show Dinner Party