12 leading ladies of the silver screen

It’s been a century of showstopping cinema moments, as these British icons prove.

VIVIEN LEIGH Vivien beat 1,400 other actresses to play Scarlett O’hara in 1939’s Gone With The Wind, the role that saw her become the first British woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

AUDREY HEPBURN A fashion and film legend, Audrey’s star turn as Holly Golightly in 1961’s Breakfast At Tiffany’s remains one of cinema’s most iconic moments to this day. ELIZABETH TAYLOR Elizabeth was the first woman to earn more than $1m for her lead role in 1963’s Cleopatra

– and in turn, she paved the way for a new generation of money-savvy female film stars.

JULIE ANDREWS It was the first feature film of her career and Julie’s Oscar-winning portrayal of the muchloved nanny in 1964’s Mary Poppins was practically perfect in every way.

HELEN MIRREN Long before The Crown, Helen set the standard for depicting the monarch on screen with her haunting depiction in 2006’s The Queen, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress.

KATE WINSLET From Berkshire to the bright lights of Hollywood, Kate’s role as rebellious aristocrat Rose in 1997’s Titanic turned her into a global superstar.

SOPHIE OKONEDO Her gut-wrenching performance in 2004’s Hotel Rwanda made Sophie the second Black female Briton ever to receive an Oscar nomination (Marianne Jean-baptiste was the first) and also caught Hollywood’s eye, where she’s carving out quite a career.

JULIE WALTERS If there’s one image of her that’s difficult to forget, it’s Julie slithering along a trestle table singing Take A Chance On Me in 2008’s blockbuster ABBA movie, Mamma Mia!.

JUDI DENCH A firm believer that age has no limits, Judi has embraced her most memorable roles after her 70th birthday, including that of widowed housewife Evelyn Greenslade in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

NAOMIE HARRIS When Naomie became the first Black actor to play Moneypenny in 2012’s Skyfall, she became an inspiration to millions of girls and women across the globe.

‘I was never going to play stereotyped roles,’ she has said.

OLIVIA COLMAN On receiving her Oscar for 2019’s The Favourite, Olivia’s acceptance speech deserved an award of its own. ‘Any little girl who’s practising her speech on the telly, you never know,’ she wept.

EMMA THOMPSON Her recent role as a sexually frustrated widow in 2022’s Good Luck To You, Leo Grande proves that Emma’s still out to shock, surprise and entertain.