British Dames in Waiting
by Sylviastel | created - 27 Dec 2011 | updated - 3 months ago | PublicWomen who should be awarded British Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire but aren't at the moment. If they haven't been honored at all, now is the time to start the process that takes about two years. Anyway, some have been honored prior in recent years but still that doesn't mean that they can't get damehood. In fact on the honours list, the British dames are the smallest list in comparison to the male knights awarded in the list.
While this list is long and varied by experiences, I think some of these ladies deserve damehood or something whether it's another honor such as an MBE, OBE, or CBE just something to honor and respect their contributions and services to the entertainment world.
Anybody who declines a lesser honor isn't listed here since there are so many possible willing recipients. It's their loss in the first place.
Previously on this list but passed away.
Faith Brook; Joyce Redman; Dinah Sheridan;Dora Bryan OBE;
Elspet Gray; Edna Dore; Stella Tanner; Lila Kaye;
Renee Asherson; Billie Whitelaw CBE; Anne Kirkbride;
Cilla Black OBE; Jackie Collins OBE; Meg Mundy;
Victoria Wood CBE OBE; Jean Alexander; Liz Smith MBE;
Jane Freeman; Jeanne Moreau; Elizabeth Dawn MBE;
Rosemary Leach; Barbara Bryne; Irene Sutcliffe
Declined
Dawn French (declined OBE).
Jennifer Saunders (declined OBE).
Nigella Lawson (declined OBE).
Julie Christie (declined a CBE)
Caryl Churchill declined an OBE.
Pam Gems declined an OBE.
Estelle Kohler declined an OBE.
Honor Blackman declined a CBE.
Awarded Damehood since I started the list.
Joan Collins OBE; Angela Lansbury CBE; Barbara Windsor MBE;
Penelope Keith CBE OBE; Kristin Scott-Thomas OBE;
Harriet Walter CBE; Gillian Lynne CBE; Sian Phillips CBE;
Penelope Wilton OBE; Patricia Routledge CBE OBE;
Anna Wintour OBE; Julie Walters CBE OBE; June Whitfield CBE OBE
If you would like to nominate any lady below or anybody else. Please visit https://www.gov.uk/honours
1. Rosemary Harris
Actress | Spider-Man
Rosemary Harris is an English actress. She has won 4 Drama Desk Awards, and nominated 9 times for Tony Awards. In 1966, she won the "Tony Award for Best Actress" for her role as Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter". In films, she is better known for portraying May Reilly Parker in the "...
One of the finest British actresses around in her eighties and still working up a storm. She's led a very active career and is a Theatre Hall of Fame inductee.
2. Gudrun Ure
Actress | The Million Pound Note
Gudrun Ure was born on March 12, 1926 in Campsie, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Man with a Million (1954), Garry Halliday (1959) and Armchair Theatre (1956). She was previously married to John Muir Ramsay.
3. Jeannette Charles
Actress | Austin Powers in Goldmember
Jeannette Charles was born on October 15, 1927. She is an actress, known for Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) and National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985).
4. Sheila Ballantine
Actress | Ann Veronica
Sheila Ballantine was born in 1928 in Hackney, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Ann Veronica (1964), Sense and Sensibility (1971) and A Thousand Kisses Deep (2011).
A British actress in stage, television and film.
5. Jeannie Carson
Actress | As Long as They're Happy
The daughter of show business parents, John Shufflebottom and Lily Peat, Carson was born as Jean Shufflebottom in Pudsey, Yorkshire. In her early British films, she performed under the name Jean Carson, but later changed her given name to "Jeannie" to avoid confusion with the similarly named ...
6. Thelma Barlow
Actress | Mrs. Henderson Presents
Thelma Barlow (née Pigott) is an English television actress and writer, most famous for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street and as Dolly Bellfield in the sitcom Dinnerladies.
Thelma Barlow was born in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, the younger of two ...
A great actress known for her role in "Coronation Street," films, stage, and other television.
7. Claire Bloom
Actress | Clash of the Titans
Age has not taken the flower off this Bloom. The well-known and highly respected stage, screen and television actress Claire Bloom continues to be in demand as an octogenarian actress and looks as beautiful as ever.
She was born Patricia Claire Blume on February 15, 1931, in Finchley, North London, ...
CBE: British actress on stage, film, and television in America and in England as well. Long Overdue for an honor.
8. Jean Boht
Actress | Bread
Jean Boht was born on March 6, 1932 in Bebington, Cheshire, England, UK. She was an actress and producer, known for Bread (1986), Z Cars (1962) and Skins (2007). She was married to Carl Davis and William P. Boht. She died on September 12, 2023 in Denville Hall, Northwood, London, England, UK.
9. Phyllida Law
Actress | The Time Machine
Phyllida Law was born on May 8, 1932 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for The Time Machine (2002), Much Ado About Nothing (1993) and The Winter Guest (1997). She was previously married to Eric Thompson.
OBE: She's not just Emma and Sophie Thompson's mother. She's also an accomplished stage, film and television actress in her own right.
10. Prunella Scales
Actress | Howards End
Prunella Scales was born on June 22, 1932 in Sutton Abinger, Surrey, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Howards End (1992), Fawlty Towers (1975) and Wolf (1994). She has been married to Timothy West since October 26, 1963. They have two children.
She was awarded a CBE in 1992, she is long overdue for Damehood. Especially now with her poor health, this could be her last chance.
11. Toni Palmer
Actress | Target
Toni Palmer was born on September 17, 1932 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Target (1977), Up the Front (1972) and Potter (1979).
12. Petula Clark
Soundtrack | Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Petula Clark was a star at the age of 11. She starred in British concert halls and on BBC radio singing for the troops during WWII. She was a child star in a series of British films from the end of WWII through to the early 1950s,and by 1954 was having hit records. After a move to France in 1960, ...
CBE recipient.
13. Caroline Blakiston
Actress | Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Incisive, classically-trained English stage and screen actress, latterly often seen on TV as imperious titled ladies or dowagers. She was born Caroline Georgiana Blakiston in Chelsea, London, the daughter of archivist Hugh Noel Blakiston (1905-1984) and non-fiction author Rachel Georgiana Russell (...
14. Barbara Taylor Bradford
Writer | A Woman of Substance
Barbara Taylor Bradford was born on May 5, 1933 in Upper Armley, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK. She is a writer and executive, known for A Woman of Substance (1984), Hold the Dream (1986) and Everything to Gain (1996). She was previously married to Robert Bradford.
An OBE recipient. This British born writer and author has lived in New York City but still writes about her native England and delivers a novel regularly.
15. Jane Greenwood
Costume_designer | Arthur
Jane Greenwood was born on April 30, 1934 in England, UK. She is a costume designer, known for Arthur (1981), Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) and Great Performances (1971).
16. Annette Crosbie
Actress | The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella
Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actress. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens. Her big break came in 1970 when she was cast as Catherine of Aragon in the BBC television ...
An OBE recipient since 1998, she's still acting on stage, film and television and is passionate about animals.
17. Millicent Martin
Actress | Nothing But the Best
Millicent Martin was born on June 8, 1934 in Romford, Essex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Nothing But the Best (1964), Frasier (1993) and Theatre Night (1957). She has been married to Marc Alexander since 1978. She was previously married to Norman Eshley and Ronnie Carroll.
She has been a familiar face in Britain and America especially for her role as Daphne's mother in "Frasier" but there's more to her. She's a singer and a gifted stage actress as well.
18. Jean Marsh
Actress | Willow
Born in London, Jean Marsh became interested in show business while taking dancing and mime classes as therapy for a childhood illness. After attending a charm school and working as a model, she started acting in repertory and took voice lessons. Her repertory work was supplemented by a number of ...
OBE: The woman who gave us "Upstairs, Downstairs." She's long overdue for recognition.
19. June Watson
Actress | The Death of Stalin
June Watson was born in 1935 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for The Death of Stalin (2017), 102 Dalmatians (2000) and William and Mary (2003). She has been married to Christopher Dunham since 1962. They have one child.
20. Christina Pickles
Actress | Masters of the Universe
Hailing from an English theatrical family, Christina Pickles is a beloved stage-trained actress who has enjoyed a rich and varied career that has allowed her to show her incredible range and great depth of character in her performances. She sets the bar for all at an entirely new height with this ...
She finally won an Emmy. I want to see her name on the list!
21. Anne Reid
Actress | Hot Fuzz
Anne was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne but the family moved to Redcar when the WWII started. She was educated at White House School where she acted in a school play of Romeo and Juliet with June Laverick, who when older would also take to the stage. When Anne got older she was sent to a boarding ...
An MBE recipient: She should have won an Oscar for "The Mother" or at least be nominated.
22. Amanda Barrie
Actress | Carry on Cleo
This feisty and very funny British comedienne and musical revue vet with the trademark 60s brunet page-boy haircut, pronounced jaw, and arguably the largest, Bette Davis-like eyes in London was born Shirley Anne Broadbent in Ashton-under-Lyne, Cheshire on September 14, 1935. The daughter of Hubert ...
She played in Carry On Films, Coronation Street, Stage, film and television. She still looks fabulous!
23. Barbara Leigh-Hunt
Actress | Frenzy
Barbara Leigh-Hunt trained for the theatre at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, then joined the Old Vic Company in London. After working in provincial repertory theatres she returned to the Bristol Old Vic to play Rosemary in 'A Severed Head', and transferred with the play to the West End. She ...
A great British actress from stage, film, and television.
24. Judy Parfitt
Actress | Girl with a Pearl Earring
Of regal bearing and imposing stance, flame-haired British classical actress Judy Parfitt is the possessor of the chilliest blue orbs in all of London and has used them to her advantage over the years with her clever portrayals of haughty, bossy, imperious, deliciously malevolent patricians. Born ...
I just loved her performance in "Dolores Claiborne." She has been a prolific film, television, and stage actress. She's always worth watching.
25. Sheila Reid
Actress | Brazil
Sheila Reid was born on December 21, 1937 in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Brazil (1985), Containment (2015) and The Touch (1971). She has been married to Terry Bullen since April 11, 2008. She was previously married to Julian Curry.
A great British film, television and stage actress.
26. Susan Hampshire
Actress | The Forsyte Saga
Susan Hampshire, the English actress who has won three Emmy Awards, was born in Kensington, London on May 12, 1937. Her original ambition was to be a nurse, but she could not pass her O-Level exam in Latin. (She found out when she was 30 years old that she was dyslexic, and her work on dyslexia ...
She was awarded an OBE for her services to dyslexia but she's a great actress on stage, film, and television.
27. Eleanor Bron
Actress | A Little Princess
There is one strange, mesmerizing film scene that easily sums up the disturbing fascination Eleanor Bron brought to her characters on stage, TV and in the cinema. This is the classic fig-eating scene which she shares with Alan Bates in the Oscar-winning drama Women in Love (1969). It is not to be ...
A British actress who has done stage, film and television and keeps working at it.
28. Tina Packer
Actress | Doctor Who
Tina Packer was born on September 28, 1938 in Wolverhampton, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Doctor Who (1963), David Copperfield (1966) and Two a Penny (1967).
The RADA trained actress has spent over 30 years in the US in Lenox, Massachusetts in running a Shakespeare Company and Theatre Company from raising money, producing, directing, and acting. She deserves recognition.
29. Gwen Taylor
Actress | Life of Brian
Gwen Taylor was born on February 19, 1939 in Derby, Derbyshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Life of Brian (1979), The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) and A Bit of a Do (1989). She has been married to Graham Reid since 1996. She was previously married to Frederick Blount.
One of Britain's best comedic actresses on stage, television, and film. Best known for Barbara, one of the best British comedies around.
30. Samantha Eggar
Actress | The Collector
Samantha Eggar was born on March 5, 1939 in Hampstead, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Collector (1965), Hercules (1997) and The Brood (1979). She was previously married to Tom Stern.
A great British actress who has been in the US for a long time.
31. Polly Adams
Actress | Kisna: The Warrior Poet
Polly Adams was born on August 27, 1939 in Chichester, Sussex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005), Pride and Prejudice (1967) and Armchair Cinema (1973).
32. Julia McKenzie
Actress | Notes on a Scandal
Julia McKenzie was born on February 17, 1941 in Enfield, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for Notes on a Scandal (2006), Bright Young Things (2003) and Cranford (2007). She was previously married to Jerry Harte.
CBE A British film, stage, and television actress who sings incredibly to the audiences. Her singing voice is unforgettable with passion, love, and tenderness.
33. Grace Coddington
Self | The September Issue
Grace Coddington was born on April 20, 1941 in Anglesey, Wales, UK. She is a producer and writer, known for The September Issue (2009), Face to Grace (2018) and Mademoiselle C (2013). She was previously married to Michael Chow.
Artistic director for Vogue magazine in US for the last twenty years under Anna Wintour OBE. An artist and visionary for detail with a touch of class, elegance, and passion for her work.
34. Miriam Margolyes
Actress | The Age of Innocence
A veteran of stage and screen, award-winning actress Miriam Margolyes has achieved success on both sides of the Atlantic. Winner of the BAFTA Best Supporting Actress award in 1993 for The Age of Innocence (1993), she received Best Supporting Actress at the 1989 LA Critics Circle Awards for her role...
An OBE recipient and one of the funniest, most unique character actresses of our time.
35. Laura Mulvey
Director | Frida Kahlo & Tina Modotti
Laura Mulvey was born on August 15, 1941 in Oxford, England, UK. She is a director and writer, known for Frida Kahlo & Tina Modotti (1983), 23rd August 2008 (2013) and Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons (1974). She was previously married to Peter Wollen.
She's best known for her scholarly work on women's role onscreen in film. She's a teacher, professor, writer, and film director as well. Most people don't know about her but she speaks volumes about women in the film and how they are viewed.
36. Stephanie Cole
Actress | Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Stephanie Cole was born in Warwickshire, England, UK. At the age of 15 she auditioned for, and was accepted to, the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She began her career at the age of 17 playing a 90-year-old woman. She went on to play notable television roles, which included appearing in all 30 ...
An OBE recipient: She's played stubborn Diana on Waiting For God. She's a brilliant actress.
37. Juliet Mills
Actress | Avanti!
An English actress of stage, screen and television, sister to Hayley Mills and daughter of Sir John Mills, Juliet first came to notice in films, actually after her sister Hayley started her career. Juliet, however, was first plucked onto the screen and signing a contract with Warner Brothers and ...
38. Rita Tushingham
Actress | The Knack ...and How to Get It
Rita Tushingham was born in Liverpool on March 14, 1942, and did her professional apprenticeship with the Liverpool Playhouse. In 1961, she made her film debut as a teenager in Tony Richardson's adaption of Shelagh Delaney's kitchen sink drama, A Taste of Honey (1961). For her work in that film, ...
39. Julie Goodyear
Actress | Coronation Street
Julie's father walked out on the family soon after Julie's birth, Julie took stepfather Bill Goodyear's name. Most famous as Bet Lynch, barmaid landlady of Coronation Street (1960), her stepfather was a publican, and she served behind his bar, The Bay House in Haywood, to raise money for her ...
An MBE recipient: She has done a lot more than acting since leaving the Street. She's raised money for cancer.
40. Pam St. Clement
Actress | EastEnders
Pam St. Clement was born on May 11, 1942 in Harrow-on-the-Hill, Middlesex, England, UK. She is an actress, known for EastEnders (1985), Hedda (1975) and Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time (1993). She was previously married to Andrew Gordon.
She's best known for Pat Butcher on East Enders. With her retirement, she deserves recognition like her peer friends and reward for her activism in gay rights.
41. Louise Purnell
Actress | Clayhanger
Louise Purnell was born on May 29, 1942 in Purley, Surrey, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Clayhanger (1976), Three Sisters (1970) and Sebastian (1968). She has been married to Andrew Roberston since 1974.
A great stage, film and television actress
42. Gemma Jones
Actress | Sense and Sensibility
Gemma Jones was born on December 4, 1942 in Marylebone, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Sense and Sensibility (1995), Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010).
One of the best British actresses around. Long worthy and overdue for an honour.
43. Anna Carteret
Actress | Poirot
Anna Carteret was born on December 11, 1942 in Bangalore, India. She is an actress and writer, known for Poirot (1989), The Plank (1967) and Juliet Bravo (1980). She was previously married to Christopher Morahan.
44. Sue Nicholls
Actress | Coronation Street
Sue Nicholls was born on November 23, 1943 in Walsall, Staffordshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin (1976) and Crossroads (1964). She was previously married to Mark Eden.
A great actress and longtime veteran of Coronation Street. She was born with a title but she deserves another one too.
45. Marcia Warren
Actress | Leap Year
Marcia was born on 26 November 1943 and trained as an actress at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, graduating in 1963. From there on she took the path of many of her performing contemporaries, acting in repertory throughout the country - beginning as a assistant stage manager in 'David ...
46. Sara Kestelman
Actress | Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords
Sara Kestelman was born on May 12, 1944 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and director, known for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords (2004), Lady Jane (1986) and Zardoz (1974).
More known for her stage presence, she's a versatile actress on stage, film and television.
47. Frances de la Tour
Actress | The History Boys
Frances de la Tour (born 30 July 1944) is an English actress, known for her role as Miss Ruth Jones in the television sitcom Rising Damp from 1974 until 1978. She is a Tony Award winner and three-time Olivier Award winner.
She performed as Mrs. Lintott in the play The History Boys in London and on ...
That unforgettable deep voice! She's done it all on stage, film and television and keeps doing it.
48. Elizabeth Bennett
Actress | Calendar Girls
Elizabeth Bennett was born on July 20, 1944 in Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Calendar Girls (2003), The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch (2008) and Baby Boom (1987).
49. Jane Lapotaire
Actress | Lady Jane
Jane Lapotaire was born on December 26, 1944 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Lady Jane (1986), Blind Justice (1988) and Rebecca (2020). She was previously married to Roland Joffé.
A British stage, film and television actress worthy of any honor at this point.
50. Francesca Annis
Actress | Dune
English actress Francesca Annis, who has enjoyed a career spanning seven decades in movies, television and the theater, was born in London six days after V-E Day, on May 14, 1945. Her father, Lester, was English, but her mother, Mariquita (aka Mara Purcell), was of Brazilian-French heritage. From ...
She's one of the best British actresses on stage, film and television. She's played Tuppence and Lillie Langtry among her many roles.
51. Maria Aitken
Actress | A Fish Called Wanda
Maria Aitken was born on September 12, 1945 in Dublin, Ireland. She is an actress and writer, known for A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Fierce Creatures (1997) and Spider (2002). She has been married to Patrick McGrath since December 28, 1991. She was previously married to Nigel Davenport and Richard ...
She has been an actress and stage director. One of the Marias on this list. She's been active for decades in the theatre.
52. Paola Dionisotti
Actress | Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced
Paola Dionisotti was born in 1946 in Turin, Italy. She is an actress, known for Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985), Les Misérables (1998) and Florence Foster Jenkins (2016).
53. Brenda Blethyn
Actress | Pride & Prejudice
After forty years of hard work on stage and both television and film, there are not many other actresses who deserved the success, recognition and stardom which Brenda Blethyn has now achieved.
Born in 1946 in Ramsgate, Kent, England, she started her career at British Rail in the 1960s. Saving money...
A great British actress and OBE recipient as well. She's been working for decades in America and in her native England.
54. Hayley Mills
Actress | Pollyanna
Born Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills in London in 1946, she is the daughter of the great actor Sir John Mills and the well-known novelist-playwright Mary Hayley Bell. Her sister is the actress Juliet Mills. She grew up in her parents' home, an outgoing, funny child, and, because she spent so ...
55. Alison Steadman
Actress | Life Is Sweet
The acclaimed Alison Steadman was born in 1946 in Liverpool, the daughter of George Percival Steadman and Marjorie Evans. Educated at Childwall Valley High School, she studied at the East-15 Acting School from 1966-1969, then toiled as a secretary at the Liverpool Probation Service before deciding ...
An OBE Recipient: She's a familiar face in film and television and stage as well.
56. Felicity Kendal
Actress | The Good Life
British leading woman best known at one time for "cute" roles but a formidable actress in a wide variety of parts. Born in England, she was raised in India where her parents Geoffrey Kendal and Laura Liddell toured the nation for decades with a traveling classical theatre troupe called ...
She's a cute actress who has done it all on stage, film, and television. She was already awarded the CBE and hasn't stopped working since then.
57. Patricia Hodge
Actress | The Elephant Man
Patricia Hodge was born on September 29, 1946 in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England, UK. She is an actress and writer, known for The Elephant Man (1980), Miranda (2009) and The Falklands Play (2002). She was previously married to Peter Douglas Owen.
OBE recipient
58. Maggie Steed
Actress | The Painted Veil
Born Margaret Baker in Plymouth, Devon, in 1946, Maggie Steed studied drama with the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, graduating in the late 1960s. However, her first professional engagements were as an assistant stage manager, working behind the scenes in a somewhat lowly capacity, because, she ...
59. Rosalind Ayres
Actress | Titanic
Rosalind Ayres was born in Birmingham, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Titanic (1997), Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011) and Gods and Monsters (1998). She has been married to Martin Jarvis since November 23, 1974. They have two children.
Another great British actress of stage, film and television
60. Marianne Faithfull
Actress | Marie Antoinette
Daughter of Eva, the Baroness Erisso, and Major Glynn Faithfull, a WWII British spy. Recorded the first song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "As Tears Go By" (1964). Involved in a major drug scandal with Jagger, Richards, and others, which ultimately turned public opinion favorably ...
She's a British and world icon and figure. She deserves something.
61. Julie Covington
Actress | Rock Follies
Julie is a stage and screen actress and singer. She is most famous for reaching the top of the U.K. singles chart in 1976 with her definitive version of "Don't Cry for me Argentina" from the musical, "Evita". One year later, she was back in the U.K. charts again with an excellent version of the ...
62. Elaine Paige
Soundtrack | The Boys from Brazil
Elaine Paige, as an actress, recording artist, producer, and broadcaster, has made a major contribution to the modern musical that ensures her own chapter in the entertainment world and justifies the title "The First Lady of Musical Theatre".
She has starred in numerous West End productions and on ...
One of Britain's best known singers and actresses to grace the musical stage in both London and Broadway. An OBE Recipient, she's overdue too.
63. Pam Ferris
Actress | Matilda
Pam Ferris was born on May 11, 1948 in Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany. She is an actress, known for Matilda (1996), Children of Men (2006) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). She has been married to Roger Frost since August 1986.
64. Sandra Dickinson
Actress | Balto
Sandra Dickinson was born on October 20, 1948 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress, known for Balto (1995), Ready Player One (2018) and Supergirl (1984). She has been married to Mark Osmond since August 16, 2009. She was previously married to Peter Davison and Hugh Dickinson.
65. Lulu
Soundtrack | To Sir, with Love
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Glasgow, Scotland on November 3, 1948. As a teenager, she toured the northern clubs with her band, the Luvvers. After her initial success with a cover of "Shout" reaching #7 in 1964, Lulu went on to establish herself as one of the ...
OBE and CBE recipient
66. Charlotte Cornwell
Actress | The Saint
Londoner Charlotte Elizabeth Cornwell was born on April 26 1949, the younger half-sister of novelist John le Carré -- whose real name was David Cornwell -- and his novel, 'The Little Drummer Girl', had a leading character based on her. Le Carré was disappointed that in the film version the star was...
67. Zoë Wanamaker
Actress | My Week with Marilyn
Zoë Wanamaker is an American expatriate actress, who has spend most of her career in the United Kingdom. She has worked extensively in the theatre. She has been nominated for 9 Laurence Olivier Awards, wining twice. She has also been nominated for 4 Tony Awards, without ever winning. In television,...
A CBE recipient. This New York City born and British actress has done it all including a British sitcom and helped her late father Sam Wanamaker CBE in establishing the Shakespeare Globe Theatre on the Banks of the Thames River. She's still in demand for work and still does it all whether on stage, film or television.
68. Cheryl Campbell
Actress | Pennies from Heaven
Cheryl Campbell is an English actress, probably best known in the United States for her role as Eileen in Dennis Potter's Pennies from Heaven (1978), for which she received a BAFTA nomination as Best Television Actress. The following year, she won the award for her roles in three shows: Testament ...
69. Elizabeth Estensen
Actress | Emmerdale Farm
Elizabeth Estensen was born on August 10, 1949 in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Emmerdale Farm (1972), T.Bag's Christmas Cracker (1988) and T.Bag's Christmas Carol (1989). She has been married to Philip Allen since May 1983. They have one child.
70. Margot Leicester
Actress | 1408
Margot was born in September 1949. Growing up in Middleton in Lancashire she attended Bury Grammar school, whose theatre trips to Stratford on Avon, the Manchester Exchange and Octagon Theatre, Bolton, led to her interest in acting. On leaving school she read English, aptly enough at the University...
71. Susie Blake
Actress | Coronation Street
Blake trained at the Arts Educational School and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. She is the granddaughter of the actress Annette Mills and a grand-niece of the actor Sir John Mills. Actresses Hayley and Juliet Mills are Blake's first cousins once-removed.
Blake has appeared regularly ...
72. Geraldine James
Actress | Calendar Girls
Geraldine James, Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) was born on July 6, 1950 in Maidenhead, Berkshire. She was educated at Downe House, a girls' independent school in Newbury, Berkshire, and later, at Drama Centre London. Geraldine has made several film and television appearances, she ...
An OBE recipient: She's a great actress on film, stage and television.
73. Jane Carr
Actress | 31
Jane Carr came to America with the Royal Shakespeare Company's Nicholas Nickleby in 1986. She had an early success with the TV series "Dear John" and has worked extensively on TV ever since, most recently in "Better Things" and "Legends of Tomorrow". Carr appeared in many plays with the Royal ...
74. Lindsay Duncan
Actress | Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Lindsay Duncan was born on November 7, 1950 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. She is an actress, known for Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014), About Time (2013) and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003). She is married to Hilton McRae. They have one child.
A CBE recipient: She's best known for stage, film and television.
75. Helen Worth
Actress | Coronation Street
Helen Worth was born on January 7, 1951 in Ossett, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), Doctor Who (1963) and London Wall. She has been married to Trevor Dawson since April 6, 2013. She was previously married to Michael Angelis.
MBE One of the Street's leading ladies since the 1970s and still going strong.
76. Suzanne Bertish
Actress | Benediction
Suzanne Bertish was born on August 7, 1951 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Benediction (2021).
77. Chrissie Hynde
Soundtrack | Happy Feet
Chrissie Hynde was born on September 7, 1951 in Akron, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Happy Feet (2006), Stealth (2005) and The Living Daylights (1987). She was previously married to Lucho Brieva and Jim Kerr.
She could get an honorary dame hood for her services to music. She has lived in England since the seventies and is based there.
78. Celia Imrie
Actress | The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Celia Imrie is an Olivier award-winning and Screen Actors Guild-nominated actress, a Variety magazine 'Icon' and Women in Film and Television 'Lifetime Achievement award' winner. As well as her acclaimed film, television and theatre work, she is also a Sunday Times best-selling author. Celia is ...
CBE A brilliant actress and presence even on the small screen. She's a scene stealer in the sitcom "After You've Gone."
79. Jenny Agutter
Actress | Logan's Run
Jenny Agutter was born on December 20, 1952, in Taunton, Somerset, England, UK. The daughter of an army officer, she spent her childhood traveling and living in different countries. Her film career began at the age of 12 in East of Sudan (1964), which was quickly followed by The Magical World of ...
OBE
80. Ruby Wax
Actress | Girls on Top
Ruby Wax was born on April 19, 1953 in Evanston, Illinois, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Girls on Top (1985), Shock Treatment (1981) and Chariots of Fire (1981). She has been married to Ed Bye since May 16, 1988. They have three children. She was previously married to Andrew Porter ...
Honorary OBE! Hooray!
81. Barb Jungr
Composer | Terry and Julian
Barb Jungr was born on May 9, 1954 in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, UK. She is a composer and actress, known for Terry and Julian (1992), Julian Clary: The Mincing Machine Tour (1989) and Piers Morgan's Life Stories (2009). She was previously married to Richard Bowling.
82. Imelda Staunton
Actress | Vera Drake
Imelda Staunton is an English actress and singer from Archway, London. Her ancestry is primarily Irish. She has worked extensively in theater, and has won 4 Laurence Olivier Awards; 3 for leading roles and one for a supporting role. Her best known role in films has been the recurring villain ...
OBE and CBE recipient
83. Juliet Stevenson
Actress | Bend It Like Beckham
With her father being in the army much of her early life was spent in boarding school from the age of 9. Initially she was turned down for RADA but got in and won a prize for Best Student. She had to turn down a role in Schindler's List (1993) as his wife due to already being committed to a theatre...
A CBE Recipient: She's a great actress, presence on screen or television and theatre as well.
84. Jane Gurnett
Actress | A Touch of Frost
Jane Gurnett was born on March 12, 1957 in Sturminster Newton, Dorset, England, UK. She is an actress, known for A Touch of Frost (1992), Casualty (1986) and The Rainbow (1988).
85. Beverley Callard
Actress | Coronation Street
Beverley Callard was born on March 28, 1957 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Coronation Street (1960), Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps (2001) and Mile High (2003). She has been married to Jon McEwan since October 30, 2010. She was previously married to Steve ...
86. Phyllida Lloyd
Director | Mamma Mia!
Phyllida Lloyd was born on June 17, 1957 in Bristol, England, UK. She is a director and producer, known for Mamma Mia! (2008), The Iron Lady (2011) and Herself (2020).
A CBE recipient. She is one of Britain's female directors to ever earn such accolades and honors for her work in the film industry.
87. Kate Burton
Actress | Big Trouble in Little China
Swiss-born Welsh-American actress Kate Burton is the daughter of Welsh actors Richard Burton and Sybil Williams. She graduated Brown University (1979), majoring in Russian studies and European history. She served on the board of 'Production Workshop', the university's student-run theater group. She...
She has British citizenship even though she has been in the US.
88. Miranda Richardson
Actress | The Crying Game
Miranda Richardson was born in Southport, Lancashire, England on March 3, 1958, to Marian Georgina (Townsend) and William Alan Richardson, a marketing executive. She has one sister, eight years her senior. Her parents and sister are not involved in the performing arts. At an early age she performed...
One of the great British actresses of our time in drama or playing Queen Elizabeth I in "The Black Adder."
89. Frances Barber
Actress | Goal!
Frances Barber has worked in a string of award-winning productions for the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, taking roles as diverse as Eliza in Pygmalion and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Among her film appearances are roles in Stephen Frears' Prick Up Your Ears (1987) and Sammy and ...
90. Toyah Willcox
Actress | Jubilee
Toyah has successfully combined acting and singing for 40 years to critical acclaim. This year The Telegraph called her "absolutely brilliant!" in her latest film role as Barbara in Steve Oram's Aaaaaaaah! (2015). She has a passion for independent film and experimentation, having been a muse of the...
91. Fiona Shaw
Actress | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1
Shaw was already an accomplished theater actress when director Jim Sheridan awarded her a role in his film, My Left Foot (1989). The film is a telling of Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), an Irishman disgruntled with his confinement to a body horribly crippled by cerebral palsy but who found ...
An honorary CBE recipient since she's Irish. She's still one of the best Irish actresses around. Even an honorary Damehood would be icing on the cake for this actress.
92. Finola Hughes
Actress | Like Crazy
Finola Hughes was born in London. She studied at Arts Educational Schools and began her career in the Northern Ballet Company, after winning the Markova award. She went on to work in the West End, in the original cast of "Cats" and continued working with Andrew Lloyd Webber in "Song & Dance". After...
93. Tracey Ullman
Actress | The Tracey Ullman Show
Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman) is a multiple award-winning television, stage and film actress who performs as a comedian, singer, dancer, as well as works as a screenwriter, producer, director, author, and businesswoman. She holds dual British and American citizenship.
Ullman's early appearances ...
One of Britain's best exports to the United States. I still remember her singing in the car with Sir Paul McCartney. She's a brilliant comedienne and actress as well. She's a bundle of talent that we don't see much of but her landmark show won Emmys on Fox and her show launched the Simpsons to stardom in their own right.
94. Maria Friedman
Actress | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Born March 19th, 1960 in Switzerland. The third child (of four) to musical parents, Leonard a violinist and co-founder of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Claire, a concert Pianist, and opera coach. All the children played piano as well, but brother Richard is a violinist and conductor of all ...
One of Britain's and Broadway's finest musical stage talents. Long overdue for any honor.
95. Josette Simon
Actress | Wonder Woman
Josette Simon was born on January 1, 1960 in Leicester, England. She is an actress, known for Wonder Woman (2017), Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019) and Red Lights (2012). She was previously married to Mark Padmore.
OBE
96. Sally Dexter
Actress | Emmerdale Farm
Sally Dexter is one of Britain's most respected actresses. A multi-award winner; her reviews are consistently superlative and she's amassed a loyal following on both sides of the Atlantic. She's particularly renowned for her ability to bring warmth and humanity to her roles, as well as a signature ...
Emmerdale’s force of nature performance is a shear delight to watch.
97. Sarah Brightman
Soundtrack | Repo! The Genetic Opera
Sarah Brightman's soprano voice has sold millions of records and been heard in arenas, cathedrals, and Olympic stadiums around the world. Brightman is the winner of more than 180 gold and platinum awards in 40 countries, and is a concert artist who has performed before millions of fans on every ...
98. Tilda Swinton
Actress | We Need to Talk About Kevin
The iconoclastic gifts of the highly striking and ferociously talented actress Tilda Swinton have been appreciated by art house crowds and international audiences alike. After her stunning Oscar-winning turn as a high-powered corporate attorney in the George Clooney starring and critically-lauded ...
99. Jane Leeves
Actress | Frasier
Jane Leeves has made her mark in the entertainment world, acting in television, theater, and film over the past 20 years.
She is most famous for her role as "Daphne" in the award-winning show Frasier (1993). Leeves played one of the five main characters of the sitcom, a live-in physical therapist ...
100. Janet McTeer
Actress | Albert Nobbs
Janet McTeer was born on August 5, 1961 in Newcastle, England, UK to parents Jean and Allan McTeer. She was raised in York from the age of 6. She attended Queen Anne Grammar School for Girls, where there was not much opportunity for drama. She became interested in acting at age 16, when she saw "...
OBE
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