Celebrity News September 08, 2022
Famous Actresses Who Have Played Queen Elizabeth II in Movies and TV Shows
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On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96.
Her 70-year reign over the U.K. has been documented in countless movies and on TV shows like “The Crown.”
While the fifth season of “The Crown” has not been released yet, Imelda Staunton is the most recent actress to play Queen Elizabeth, during her reign in the ‘90s.
Netflix
The fourth season of the Netflix show focused on Queen Elizabeth II’s monarchy from 1979-1990. The Queen was portrayed by Emmy winner Olivia Colman, who played her for two seasons.
Netflix
Years ago, Colman joked with “Extra’s” Renee Bargh, “It's a rider in my contract... I only play queens.”
Claire Foy starred as Queen Elizabeth II on the first two seasons of “The Crown,” which charted her life from the 1940-1960s. She nabbed two Emmys for her portrayal.
Netflix
When asked how she would feel if The Queen saw “The Crown,” Foy told “Extra,” “I mean it's beyond my wildest fears that she would see it.”
“The Crown” has been described as a dramatization of Queen Elizabeth’s monarchy.
In 2006, Helen Mirren won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in “The Queen,” which focused on the aftermath of Princess Diana’s tragic death.
Pathé Pictures
More than 15 years ago, Mirren explained why she was hesitant to take on the role. She told us, “I was resistant because I didn’t want to wear those ugly clothes and I didn’t want to wear a gray wig and I didn’t want to be ten years older than I am.”
Mirren would play the Queen again in the stage play “The Audience.” Kristin Scott Thomas took over for Mirren in 2015.
In 2012, Emma Thompson took on the role of Queen Elizabeth in a British TV film called “Walking the Dogs,” which centered on the 1982 Buckingham Palace break-in by intruder Michael Fagan.
In 2015, Sarah Gadon portrayed a young version of Queen Elizabeth in “A Royal Night Out,” which centered on Elizabeth and her sister Margaret’s night away from Buckingham Palace to celebrate V.E. Day.
In 2011, Emmy winner Jane Alexander played Queen Elizabeth II in “William & Catherine: A Royal Romance.”
Other actresses to play the Queen include Jeannette Charles, Maggie Sullivan, Barbara Flynn, Rosemary Leach, Samantha Bond, Emilia Fox, Susan Jameson and Diana Quick.
