46 Photos of Helen Mirren Over the Years That Prove She’s a Queen in Real Life

Helen (right) on the set of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at age 19 alongside her castmate Mary Payne.

Here she is portraying Cleopatra on the set of Cleopatra and Antony in 1965.

Helen was only 20 when Nicholas Egon, a Hampstead artist, spotted her and wanted to paint her.

Here they are at their first meeting. Clearly, Egon was smitten by her. Can you blame him?

Helen played Cressida in the epic portrayal of Troilus and Cressida at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1968. Wasn't she so young and innocent-looking?

Here she is at 24 in 1969 in London. Look at those big doe eyes!

At the ripe age of 24, Helen was already enjoying a fruitful acting career with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. 

In 1969, she went on to star in her first major film, Age of Consent, alongside James Mason.

By the 1970s, Mirren was staring in a number of films and making her way onto the TV screen in shows like ITV Sunday Night Theatre, and Cousin Bette, which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. From an early age, she established herself as a sexual icon.

As her career took off, she spent time with a-list actors and musicians. Here she is pictured at the Cannes Film Festival in France in 1973 with Alan Price, an English musician, at the piano.

She was certainly never camera shy. Check out those legs!

Here she is pictured in her Fulham home in 1975.

By this time, Helen had established herself as somewhat of a rebel. 

She certainly was not one to follow conventions, especially when it came to beauty and gender norms. How cute is she here, pictured in her Windsor chair and favorite cap?

In 1978, Mirren starred as Cassandra in the TV mini series of the play Agamemnon, part one of Aeschylus' Oresteia.

In 1985, she got to meet the Prince of Wales at the Royal Movie Premier of 2010 in London.

Also in 1985, she starred in White Nights. Taylor Hackford was directing the film and it’s rumored that he kept Mirren waiting during her audition — which didn’t bode well with her.

Mirren starred in the film alongside another other noteworthy actor, Gregory Hines, whom she formed a lasting friendship with.

In 1986, she starred alongside Harrison Ford in The Mosquito Coast.

Helen has been known for her acting in several regal roles. Here she is in 1980 in costume for her performance in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi at the Royal Exchange Theater in Manchester, England, September 1980. 

And in 1988, she starred alongside actor Ben Kingsley in the Italian film Pascali’s Island.

In 1989, Mirren starred in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, a crime drama film written and directed by actor Peter Greenaway, starring Richard Bohringer, Michael Gambon, and Alan Howard.

The film was noted at the time for its graphic violence and nudity, as well as it's unconventional cinematography. Wowza! 

And she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Helen, at 47, posed for a sultry portrait session in Los Angeles in 1992.

Despite a rocky start, Helen and Taylor Hackford started dating after their meeting on White Nights, and eventually tied the knot in 1997. They are still married today. How sweet!

In the 90’s, she won a BAFTA award for her role as Jane Tennison in the TV mini-series Prime Suspects. 

And Helen's sultry style continued on. Here she is pictured with Matthew Broderick at the 1994 Drama Desk Awards. 

In 1996, she won her first Emmy for her role in Prime Suspects. 

Thereafter, Mirren went on to win and be nominated for many awards. Also in 1996, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for her role in Losing Chase — Kevin Bacon’s directorial debut. This was her first of 15 Golden Globe nominations to date.

In 1997, she wowed fans at the 49th annual Emmy Awards in a stunning golden gown. 

It’s clear that the actress had no intention of ever “toning it down.” She was born for the spotlight, and she's always embraced it! 

Back on stage in 1998, she starred alongside Alan Rickman as Cleopatra in Anthony and Cleopatra. 

Here she is pictured at the 1998 premiere of The Truman Show, donning her signature, winning smile, and the most on-trend pixie cut!

In 1999, she was still taking home awards. That year, she won the Emmy for best actress in a mini series for her role in The Passion of Ayn Rand.

Later in 2003, Mirren was initiated as a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II. What an honor!

And while her career was prospering, she also became more and more active in her community. Mirren has participated in protests and has used her celebrity status to call attention to many issues over the years. In 1997, she stood with Amnesty International against the illegal use and sale of electric shock batons in Britain.

In 2004, she travelled to Africa to call attention to the devastating genocide happening there. 

Though an outbreak of violence caused the sponsor of the trip to cancel, Mirren refused to back down. Instead of travelling to Sudan's Darfur region, she took a reroute to northern Uganda where she advocated against genocide.

Mirren has also received several honorary degrees throughout her career. In 1999, she was made a Doctor of Letters by the University of St. Andrews.

She was awarded two more in 2017 from the University of Southern California and Tulane University in Louisiana. 

Mirren has been an active participant in several university programs, too. In 2006, she became the first Honorary Patron of the Institute for Capitalizing on Creativity at the University of St. Andrews, a program which was established to help boost the creative industries in Scotland through specific management training initiatives. 

In 2007, Helen took home several awards including the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. Interestingly, Mirren also played Queen Elizabeth I in the TV miniseries, Elizabeth I.

Back in June of this year, she performed at Karl For Ever, a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, who was creative director of Fendi from 1965 and Chanel from 1983 until he passed away back in February.

No matter how much time has gone by, Mirren remains a fashion and beauty icon. Check her out in this stunning green dress at the Fast and Furious premier this July!

Today, she remains true to her roots in fighting for a cause. This year at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s (HFPA) charity event to benefit the humanitarian organization Help Refugees, she took the stage to deliver a heartfelt message. “Here you are, you’ve got free food, you’ve got free drink, you’re safe, you’re warm, the rain is not raining on your heads," she said. "All I ask you is to give a moment’s thought to the people who don’t have that. Just a moment of not speaking. Think about people who are so much worse off than you are and feel very, very, very grateful that you are where you are.” 

Throughout her career, Helen has captured our hearts with her striking beauty, fearless sense of style (she showed up to Cannes with pink hair this year!), magnificent talent, fierce energy, and compassion for others. And at 73 years old, we think she’s more captivating than ever.