Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice [Paperback]

John Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2002

Whether it is her sunny temperament, her gift of laughter, her wide-ranging abilities, or all three, Judi Dench is without doubt a star. Shortlisted for a 1998 Oscar for her performance as Queen Victoria in MRS BROWN, she then won one for her role as Queen Elizabeth in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. Judi Dench is widely loved, and not only among the theatrical profession. Her long-running appearance opposite Geoffrey Palmer in the TV situation comedy AS TIME GOES BY has run to four series and gained her a TV TIMES readers' award as 'the actress we most wish see more often on television'. She juggles the National Theatre (a sell-out season in Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC and David Hare's AMY'S VIEW) with TV and films (she is now established as 'M' in the latest James Bond series). Since the paperback edition was published, John Miller has written a new chapter, bringing what is fast becoming a classic biography completely up-to-date.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From her stage work in Shakespeare, Chekhov and Shaw, to her startling reinterpretation of "M" in the Bond series, to her brilliant turns as Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth in Mrs. Brown and Shakespeare in Love, Dame Judi Dench has secured a place in both the critical and popular imagination as one of the most talented and celebrated actors working on the stage or screen today. While Miller's biography exhaustively chronicles her public career, it doesn't probe the veil of privacy Dench has drawn around her personal life. The daughter of a doctor, Dench was born in 1934 in middle-class comfort. A prize-winning student, she participated in amateur theater with her family. After training at the Old Vic, she played Ophelia. In 1968, she originated the role of Cabaret's Sally Bowles in London's West End and a year later became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, working frequently in television and films as well as on stage. Miller is adept at detailing and contextualizing Dench's career; she has interviewed almost everyone with whom Dench has worked. While she covers the milestones in Dench's personal life--including her 1971 marriage to actor Michael Williams and the birth of her daughter, Finty, a year later--fans interested in dish or personal drama will have to wait for an encore. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Miller (Ralph Richardson: The Authorized Biography) offers a unique work in that the only other full-length biography of the actress is Gerald Jacob's Judi Dench: A Great Deal of Laughter: An Authorized Biography, written a decade before she achieved worldwide fame. The chronology of Dench's personal life and career is faithfully constructed, but the essence of the human being that can be magically captured by a biographer is missing, replaced by a surfeit. A future work is anticipated that will fully portray this amazingly versatile actress, who has played theater roles ranging from Lady Macbeth to Sally Bowles in Cabaret, and film roles that include the diabolical "M" in two James Bond movies and Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown. Not recommended.
-Bruce Henson, Georgia Inst. of Technology Lib. & Information Ctr., Atlanta
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Orion Paperbacks; 2nd edition (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752848941
• ISBN-13: 978-0752848945
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #884,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dame Judi Dench, April 3, 2001

By 

taking a rest - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Judi Dench: With A Crack in Her Voice (Hardcover)

This biography is a rarity. Its purpose is to share the tremendous career and achievements of Mrs. Judi Dench, and it happily is lacking what biography has often become. It is not several hundred pages of dubious gossip or borderline slander. It is not a litany of innuendo from those who claim some dubious relationship to the subject and then do their best to damage the individual's reputation. If you are looking for gossip-strewn trash, buy history as revised and fictionalized by Kitty Kelly. Mr. John Miller has written a wonderful book about a woman of substance and of great personal and professional merit. Unlike other biographers who survive based upon how low they will sink for tabloid attention, he did not write whatever someone would spew to relate a story that was not there.

Dame Judi's career has spanned a period that has allowed her to work with many of the greatest names of the theatre of the 20th Century. Additionally the actresses, the Directors and Playwrights also read like a list of those most accomplished in their fields. Many fans first met her as "M" in the James Bond Film Series, or as "Mrs. Brown", in her portrayal of Queen Victoria, or Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare In Love". The latter two films won her nominations for The Academy Award and the trend continued this year in Chocolat.

If you are interested in a story of a hard working actress, a woman who is a consummate professional, and respected by virtually all who have worked with her, this book is for you. However if you are like the journalist that opened a press conference by asking her a personal and intimate question, which caused her to rightfully dismiss the press conference format of dirt gathering from that day on, you will have to look elsewhere.

This is a great book about a woman who has succeeded in all areas she chose, and has done so with style and without the sordid notoriety that passes for fame today. Hers' is not a career of 15 minutes or 15, 30, or 45 years, but more like another legend Sir John Gielgud, who when he hit his 90th birthday never thought to pause.

Mr. Miller is to be commended for writing a worthwhile book and not a hardbound tabloid. If he seems less than objective due to the praise he has collected from her peers, it in fact only does "seem" that way. There are accomplished people today who can be admired and pointed to as role models. This book documents one. The other group tends to be long on press clippings and short on substance, but they also unfortunately sell books by the ton to book reading voyeurs.

Mr. Miller has written a work for the other readers.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Look into the life of a true actor, November 12, 2001

By 

Frances C. Morrier (North Oxford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Judi Dench (Paperback)

I'm an immense Judi Dench fan and waited for the publication of this paperback version of her biography. I wasn't disappointed. The author gives a complete picture of 'the Dame's' professional life--from her first stage parts up until her more widely known successes in the last couple of years.
Reading the book made me want to know this smart, funny woman who has now added 'M' (Bond movies) to her coverage of classical stage roles, television pieces and other movie parts. I came away with a somewhat better understanding of the enormous talent it must take to get to the heart of various characters. And, I greatly enjoyed the descriptions of the practical jokes JD loves to organize. I loved the 'corpsing' (the Brits use the term to describe actors 'cracking each other up').
Great reading for a 'Dame Judi' fan, or any fan of good acting, with an 'inside' view of the process.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating view of the British Theater and one of its Best!, March 24, 2001

By 

Jeanette Miller (Ithaca, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Judi Dench: With A Crack in Her Voice (Hardcover)

I became interested in Judy Dench when I first discovered the British comedies that appear on American Television. "As Time Goes By" is my favorite and of course stars Judi. When I heard about her most exceptional career I wanted to learn more about her and see more of her acting. I found this book, which does give an "arm's length" view of Judi, the person, which I understand is her choice, and more power to her. However, I was fascinated with the in-depth information on the British Theater and those who have performed there over the last 40 years as told in this biography. It certainly describes many of the wonderful theatrical productions, and all that goes into making these possible. While Judi Dench is the central character, the book shows what a career in theater is like and all the many aspects of theater that go into every presentation. I did enjoy the book, and felt I had learned far more than anticipated about the recent British Theater.