What is the best Helen Mirren performance of all time?

From Shakespearean stages to Hollywood blockbusters, from crime procedurals to royal portraits — this career is the dictionary definition of range. Which Helen Mirren commands your vote?

1

The Long Good Friday

A 1980 British crime thriller where Mirren plays Victoria, the cool-headed American girlfriend of a London gangster whose empire is under attack.

2

Excalibur

A 1981 Arthurian epic where Mirren plays Morgana, the seductive sorceress who schemes to destroy Camelot.

3

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

A 1989 Peter Greenaway art-house drama where Mirren plays Georgina, a woman having a clandestine affair in her gangster husband's restaurant.

4

Prime Suspect

A 1991–2006 ITV crime drama where Mirren plays DCI Jane Tennison, a tenacious detective battling both criminals and workplace sexism, earning multiple BAFTAs and Emmys.

5

The Madness of King George

A 1994 historical drama where Mirren plays Queen Charlotte, the devoted wife of King George III as he descends into madness.

6

Gosford Park

A 2001 Robert Altman murder mystery where Mirren plays Mrs. Wilson, the emotionally repressed head housekeeper with a dark secret.

7

Calendar Girls

A 2003 British comedy-drama where Mirren plays Chris Harper, who convinces her Women's Institute friends to pose nude for a calendar.

8

Elizabeth I

A 2005 HBO miniseries where Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth I in her later years, navigating political intrigue and her last great romance, winning the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress.

9

The Queen

A 2006 drama where Mirren plays Queen Elizabeth II in the week following Princess Diana's death, winning the Academy Award for Best Actress.

10

RED

A 2010 action-comedy where Mirren plays Victoria, a former CIA operative who handles explosives with lethal elegance while on the run.

11

Hitchcock

A 2012 biopic where Mirren plays Alma Reville, the underappreciated wife and creative partner of legendary director Alfred Hitchcock.

12

Eye in the Sky

A 2015 military thriller where Mirren plays Colonel Katherine Powell, a British military officer grappling with the morality of drone warfare.

13

Woman in Gold

A 2015 drama where Mirren plays Maria Altmann, a Jewish refugee who fights to reclaim a Gustav Klimt painting stolen by the Nazis.