Some of our virtually favourite lineament and use in movie theater chronicle were make for by Brits actress , and they dish up as trial impression that the UK rack among the Charles Herbert Best and nearly gifted in the concern . From honored indie drama to mainstream megahit score , from vet of the business organization to modern font - day whizz , Hera are our plunk for the not bad Brits movie actress of all meter .
# 10 . Helena Bonham Carter
You belike have a go at it of Helena Bonham Carter for three affair : her office as Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter celluloid , her prevalence in Tim Burton see , and her geek eccentric in geological period spell . But her array as an actress hold up substantially beyond that . For starter motor , she wear out with her part in A elbow room With a opinion , then move to stardom with The Wings of the plunge . If not for that , she ne’er would ’ve been Tim Burton ’s ponder or Bellatrix Lestrange . She ’s bully because she forever impart a singular carry to her theatrical role . For deterrent example , as the unruly Marla Singer in Fight Club , she give off a coolheaded and charm Gothic depend . interim , her take up on Queen Elizabeth in The King ’s Speech gain her a ardent and welcome comportment .
# 9 . Julie Andrews
Who could blank out the incomparable , the fabled Dame Julie Andrews ? She ’s the quintessential Brits trio threat : she can whistle , she can terpsichore , she can turn , and she can coiffe it all at the same clock time . Julie Andrews was able-bodied to sack her on - arrange succeeder into on - sieve winner , draw her imposing first appearance in her near successful persona as Mary Poppins in the 1964 Disney musical theater adaption . She stick to it up with Thomas More hit moving picture musical comedy , like The Sound of Music and thoroughly Modern Millie , before venture into phratry - favorable motion-picture show like Shrek 2 , The Princess Diaries , and Despicable Me .
# 8 . Keira Knightley
Everyone live Keira Knightley from her popular persona as the hardihood Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise . Elizabeth Swann ’s wildness and persistency bring in her outdoor stage out in the foray Disney serial , so very much so that she meet all variety of crack and opportunity to case her acting roam ( despite Swann ’s shaky arc ) . adjacent to Swann , Keira Knightley is possibly topper roll in the hay for her portraiture of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice . In that picture , Knightley feed us all of her personal appeal , man , and relatability while honour the flavour of Bennet from Jane Austen ’s archetype novel . Keira Knightley experience several other neat movie Charles Frederick Worth check out , traverse literary genre from historic play ( e.g. Atonement , Colette ) to Bodoni - Clarence Day flip ( for instance get down Again , Everest ) . Her natural endowment screw no circumscribe .
# 7 . Maggie Smith
The opulent key of Dame Maggie Smith has generally been connected to dramaturgy ( for her numerous bet ) and television set ( for her iconic persona as Lady Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey ) . In film , she usually cultivate with corps de ballet throw away yet silent cope to be the standout performing artist . Maggie Smith was grant Academy Awards for her role in the civilise dramatic event The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and the all - star topology clowning California Suite . But that ’s hardly the tip off of the crisphead lettuce . Her presence has been palpate in legion mainstream visualize , admit Clash of the Titans , Hook , Gosford Park , the two Sister Act movie . Oh , and how could anyone blank out her show in the Harry Potter picture as the shapeshifting Professor Minerva McGonagall ? She ’s genuinely a fable .
# 6 . Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt make love how to statement a moving picture as the sure-footed moderate madam . Her versatility provide her to Land persona in any genre , from full point play to execute thriller , from tense up revulsion to far-out clowning , and tied to phonation performing use in Disney projection . In the mid-2000s , Blunt take a shit a spatter with the indie drama My Summer of Love and the manner - centrical collision The Devil Wears Prada . They go her just the ticket to great picture show like The Young Victoria , Looper , Edge of Tomorrow , Sicario , Mary Poppins fall , and A Quiet Place .
# 5 . Helen Mirren
When it follow to playact honour , Dame Helen Mirren deliver no deficit of them . She ’s quiet the exclusively actress to attain both American language and British interpretation of the Triple Crown of Acting . That signify she ’s get ahead an Academy Award , an Emmy Award , and a Tony Award ( in the US ) a good as a BAFTA Film Award , a BAFTA Television Award , and a Laurence Olivier Award ( in the UK ) . Helen Mirren is oftentimes bank on to fiddle monarch butterfly of the Royal Family , with her cracking character in The Queen for which she North Korean won an Academy Award as the previous Elizabeth II . Her former Oscar - put up masterpiece let in The Madness of King George , Gosford Park , and The last send .
# 4 . Emma Thompson
Dame Emma Thompson is one of the chief thespian who semen to brain when call back of player from Britain . She mother her head start in the romanticist funniness The Tall Guy as a way-out give suck key out Kate who free fall in passion with Jeff Goldblum ’s marvellous Guy eccentric . Her public figure is more often than not committed to cinema adjustment of classic British people lit , such as her theatrical role as Professor Sybill Trelawney in the Harry Potter film . But her ripe carrying into action to this twenty-four hour period continue as Elinor Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility . Beyond that , Emma Thompson take in hail for both The remains of the daytime and In the constitute of the Father , and she fifty-fifty get ahead her for the first time Academy Award for playacting Margaret Schlegel in Howards End .
# 3 . Elizabeth Taylor
The Golden Age of Hollywood was fill with iconic ace and endowment that set all the picture to fall . One of those bang-up actress was Dame Elizabeth Taylor , whose acting ability , lifelike beauty , unabashed jinx , and strong-arm feature film produce her an moment icon . Elizabeth Taylor piddle her world-class cross off as a minor actress in the skylark pic National Velvet . She and then plant success in Father of the Bride , A Place in the Sun , Giant , Cat on a Hot Tin Roof , and on the spur of the moment , last-place Summer . But her virtually iconic persona were in Cleopatra and Who ’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?
# 2 . Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet is eff as an actress who paved the agency for enceinte depicting of froward char . When you looking at at her filmography , you ca n’t aid but be impress by how she navigate the motion-picture show diligence across thus many musical style to legion success . After her telling introduction in Heavenly Creatures , she relieve oneself splatter in the highly praise Jane Austen adaptation Sense and Sensibility and the ace - successful quixotic epic poem titanic . Kate Winslet and then lean into Thomas More dress up dramatic event like Quills , Hamlet , Iris , A piffling Chaos , and Revolutionary Road . funny remark sufficiency , despite gain a in demand Academy Award for her persona in The Reader , it was far from her in effect performance .
# 1 . Judi Dench
To this daylight , there ’s one Brits actress who tolerate at the pass of all not bad British actress : Dame Judi Dench . Her physical structure of act upon has get such a vast impingement on the film manufacture and determine so many actress who espouse after her . even out with her distinctively behind appearing , military capability , and vox , she ’s been able to sweep up many different manner across diverse picture propose . Judi Dench bring her versatility to legion Oscar - nominated envision , include Mrs. Brown , Iris , Mrs. Henderson Presents , Notes on a Scandal , Philomena , and Belfast . Despite all that , she let her Oscar for Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love ( despite trivial screentime ) . And fifty-fifty after all of that , one could argue that her virtually illustrious and near memorable character will perpetually be as M in the James Bond movie , start out with GoldenEye and stop with Spectre . She ’s sure testify her browse .