After her recent lifetime award at the Golden Globes, presented to her by the prestigious Harrison Ford, we at the Echo are going to take a look back at Southend's own Dame Helen Mirren, and her history growing up and finding success in south Essex.
Born Helen Lydia Mironoff in Hammersmith in 1945, Mirren was brought up in Queen’s Road, Leigh and attended Hamlet Court Primary School before moving to St Bernard’s High School for Girls in Westcliff.
She earned pocket money running a dart’s sideshow at the Kursaal fairground, a job she apparently loved, and later joined the National Youth Theatre before being invited to the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Two performances she saw as a child in Southend—at the end of the pier and at the Palace Theatre—sparked her passion for acting.
Speaking to Culture Essex, Dame Helen said: "I was raised in Leigh-on-Sea and am proud of my Essex roots.
"I gained my love of acting during my early performances on the stages of Essex.
"The county has proven a launch pad for so many creative people from the performing arts to music, as well as writers, designers, and visual artists.
"The creative arts can provide opportunities for everyone, no matter what their background."
She has remained a supporter of the arts in her home county throughout her career.
During protests to save the Palace Theatre in 2005, Dame Helen wrote in support of the campaign and later visited the theatre in 2006 while filming a documentary in Southend.
She also wrote the foreword to the theatre’s centenary book in 2012.
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Most recently, Dame Helen backed the first Essex International Film Festival, that took place in March last year.
She said: "I’m excited and proud that my home county of Essex will be hosting a countywide film festival."
On January 9, Dame Helen became the 71st recipient of the Golden Globes’ Cecil B Demille Award for lifetime achievement.
In her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to her roots, recalling how, at age six, her “world changed” after seeing a show at the end of Southend Pier.
Since launching her international career, Dame Helen has featured in more than 80 movies.
Her most notable roles include her Oscar-award winning portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006), her role as Detective Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect (1991-2006) which earned her multiple Emmys and BAFTAs, and her Emmy-winning performance as another British monarch in Elizabeth I (2005).
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