Age defying Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren was born on July 26, 1945. The British actress got her start by excelling on stage with the National Youth Theatre. Her performance in Antony and Cleopatra in 1965 (as Cleopatra) garnered her an invitation to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1975 she made her West End stage debut and has been successful in film and television ever since. Mirren has also kept herself in great shape and wore a bikini in a photo shoot for First for Women Magazine at age 63. In the June 23 2007 edition the actress shared the spotlight with other actresses who were over 40, such as Kristina Wagoner, Demi Moore, Christy Brinkley and Sheryl Crow. Mirren was the oldest but was just as beautiful as the younger women.

Mirren is one of the few performers who have achieved what is known as the Triple Crown of Acting in America. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in The Queen, for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for portraying Elizabeth II in The Audience. She also won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie four times. Between 1992 and 1994 she won three consecutive Best Actress BAFTA Awards and two Primetime Emmys. She has also garnered 14 Golden Globe nominations.

The breakthrough role for the 74 year old actress came in 1980 with The Long Good Friday. The ageless Mirren was appointed a Dame (DBE) in 2003 for her service to drama and received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 2013. She was named Helen Lydia Mironoff at birth but shortened it to Mirren as a professional monicker. This woman has shown a strength and staying power in a business that is not very kind to aging females. She has adapted through the decades and has won the admiration of fans as well as her peers.

The actress has said she is honored to have been chosen as the Ambassador for L'Oreal's Age Perfect line of beauty products for older women. and she added that as she ages she finds that less makeup is best. because less makeup does more in this day and age. Mirren says that makeup for mature women is a must and that she did not look good at 40 in makeup for a 16 year old. For Helen Mirren, the term ‘anti-ageing’ is a problem, and she told Allure that she will no longer use the term. She said that we all know we are getting older and just want to look and feel as best we can each day. Perhaps her attitude is why she comes across as age defying.

Mirren does not consider herself beautiful and offers some sound advise for other women. She says each person should find pride and solace in being an individual. Decades ago young women were told to look and dress a certain way in order to be accepted which caused many to attempt to fit in where they didn’t belong. In today’s world young people are told to embrace who they are which promotes individuality. Mirren also shares that people in the entertainment industry get a lot of help with the way they look on screen and in photos. She said that the beautiful images in magazines, are because of an amazing photographer or great lighting. She says it takes an incredible team for clothing, hair, and makeup and emphasizes that a lot of work goes into making the images just right.

The beautiful actress continues to remain busy at an age where many women are unable to obtain roles. In 2010, she appeared in five films. In 2012, she portrayed Alfred Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville in biopic about the master of mystery. She was also in the film The Door, that same year. In 2014 Mirren replaced Bette Midler in the biographical HBO television movie titled Phil Spector. Her only feature film of 2014 was the comedy-drama The Hundred-Foot Journey. The film earned Dame Helen yet another Golden Globe nomination.

Helen Mirren married Taylor Edwin Hackford in 1997. It was her first marriage and his third. Hackford is an American film director and a former president of the Directors Guild. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1979 for Teenage Father and has directed many successful feature films, most notably An Officer and a Gentleman in 1982 and Ray in 2004. Hackford has three children from his previous marriages but Mirren has none. She has been quoted as saying she has never had any maternal instincts.