Film star, veteran Dench recognised

British actress Judi Dench, pictured, made her screen debut in 1964 and has worked with many star directors, including Clint Eastwood and Sam Mendes.

Famous for her role as M in James Bond films, Dench will receive a lifetime achievement award at Spain’s famous San Sebastian film festival, organisers said on Tuesday.

The 83-year-old actress, winner of an Oscar in 1999 for her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love, will get the Donostia Award on September 25.

Dench, a veteran star of the stage and screen, made her movie debut in 1964 and has worked with directors as varied as Stephen Frears, Kenneth Branagh, Eastwood and Mendes.

Her subtle portrayal of complex characters such as Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown or author Iris Murdoch in Iris have earned her critical acclaim.

A seven-time Oscar nominee and the recipient of several British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards, Dench is perhaps best-known worldwide for playing M, the head of MI6, in James Bond films.

It will be her first visit to the film festival in the Basque Country, where her new film, Red Joan, directed by Trevor Nunn, will be screened.

In the film, based on a true story, she plays a tranquil retiree who is suddenly arrested by MI5 and exposed as a long-standing KGB spy.

She will join US actor Danny de Vito and Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose film Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, in receiving the Donostia Award.

Past recipients of the award include Gregory Peck, Robert de Niro, Bette Davis, Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep. –