Judi Dench, who plays the grief-stricken Queen Victoria, is one of England's most renowned stage and screen actresses. In 1998 she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown. The following year she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as another British monarch, Queen Elizabeth I, in Shakespeare in Love. Other film performances include A Room with a View, for which she received the BAFTA Award [British Academy of Film and Theatre Arts] for Best Supporting Actress; A Handful of Dust; Four in the Morning; Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet and Henry V; Jack and Sarah; 84 Charing Cross Road; Wetherby; Dead Cert; A Midsummer Night's Dream; A Study in Terror; He Who Rides a Tiger; and The Third Secret. She played M in the James Bond film GoldenEye and will reprise her role in the forthcoming Bond adventure.

A longtime member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Dench has been a major star of the British stage since the late 1950s, appearing in literally dozens of Shakespearean and contemporary productions, including award-winning performances in Romeo and Juliet; Macbeth; Juno and the Paycock; A Kind of Alaska; The Importance of Being Earnest; Pack of Lies; Antony and Cleopatra; and most recently Antony Page's Absolute Hell and A Little Night Music, and David Hare's Amy's View, all at the National Theatre.

Dench also has extensive television credits. She received the BAFTA Award for Best Television Actress for her role in the comedy series A Fine Romance and a BAFTA nomination for her recent performances in the BBC series As Time Goes By. She has starred in television productions of Absolute Hell; Behaving Badly; Make and Break; Ghosts; The Browning Version; Smiley's People; Going Gently; The Cherry Orchard; Love in a Cold Climate; On Giant's Shoulders; Village Wooing; and Macbeth, among others. She won a Cable ACE Award for her performance in the A&E production of Mr. and Mrs. Edgehill.


John Brown
Billy Connolly

Best known to U.S. audiences for his comedic work, Billy Connolly gives a moving performance as the loyal servant John Brown, who sacrificed his heart for his Queen.

A stand-up comedian who has toured the world, Connolly has worked on a number of feature films, including Absolution with Richard Burton; Bullshot and Water with Michael Caine; Crossing the Line with Liam Neeson; Treasure Island with the Muppets; and the acclaimed BBC production Down Among the Big Boys. His voice is also featured in the Disney animated film Pocahontas. Most recently, Connolly starred in the BBC costume drama The Life and Crimes of Deacon Brodie.

Connolly is most recognizable from his hit television series Head of the Class, which was later spun off into his own series, Billy. His other television work includes appearances on the sitcom Pearl with Rhea Perlman and Malcolm MacDowell; comedy specials for HBO and BBC; Billy's Beloved Homeland; and The Bigger Picture, a series on Scottish art. Connolly has also release numerous home videos, including 25 B.C.; Billy and Albert; An Audience with Billy Connolly; Billy Connolly Live; and Live 94.

Connolly's eclectic career includes performances in the BBC's Androcles and the Lion; the Scottish Opera production of Der Fleidermaus; and his own play, The Red Runner, which performed to packed houses at the Edinburgh Festival.

He began his career as a musician, touring with Gerry Rafferty and the folk band the Humblebums. Connolly's humorous introductions soon became an audience favorite, and in 1971 he played his first solo concert. This led to The Great Northern Welly Boot Show, a mixture of music and talk that established his talent as a popular entertainer. He went on to release a double album and a No. 1 hit single, "D.I.V.O.R.C.E." Since then, he has released numerous hit comedy records and published several comedic books.


Benjamin Disraeli
Antony Sher

Distinguished writer and actor Antony Sher plays the distinguished statesman and writer Benjamin Disraeli. Sher's leading roles on film and television have been in Genghis Cohen; Shadey; The Young Poisoner's Handbook; and Wind in the Willows. He most recently starred in Indian Summer, which won Best Film Awards at the Hamptons and London Film Festivals. Onstage, Sher has won accolades for roles in Richard III; Titus Andronicus; The Merchant of Venice; Hello and Goodbye; Singer; and Tamburlaine. He most recently starred in the Broadway production of Stanley, garnering a 1997 Tony nomination.

Sher's career as a writer is no less accomplished. His novels, all set in his native South Africa, have been published in the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, France, Germany, Italy, and Greece. His first novel, Middlepost, was long-listed for Britain's prestigious Booker Prize in 1988 and short-listed for South Africa's CNA Literary Award. He went on to publish The Indoor Boy and Cheap Lives, the latter winning a nomination for the Dublin Literary Prize. Sher has also written two nonfiction books: Year of the King, a book of reflections about acting; and Woza Shakespeare! Both books are adorned with Sher's distinctive sketches and drawings. A gifted artist, Sher has also published a book of his paintings and has exhibited at the Barbican Centre and at the Royal National Theatre.

Henry Ponsonby	Geoffrey Palmer
Archie Brown	Gerard Butler
Doctor Jenner	Richard Pasco
Bertie, Prince of Wales	David Westhead
Lady Ely	Bridget McConnel
Lady Churchill	Georgie Glen
Lady in Waiting	Catherine O'Donnell
Princess Alexandra	Sara Stewart
Princess Helena	Finty Williams
Princess Louise	Claire Nicolson
Princess Alice	Hattie Ladburty
Prince Alfred	Oliver Kent
Prince Arthur	Alex Menzies
Prince Leopold	Simon McKerrell
Bertie's Valet	Rupert Farley
Mrs. Grant	Elaine Collins
Mr. Grant	Jimmy Chisholm
Lord Stanley	Jason Morell
Assistant Dresser	Rebecca Charles
Mary Ann Disraeli	Cherith Mellor
Speaker of the House	George Hall
Commons Counter	Robin Marchal
Dean of Windsor	Oliver Ford Davies
Journalists	Patrick Hannaway John Ramsay
Society Lady	Delia Lindsay
Sir Charles Dilke	James Vaughan
Barney	Brendan O'Hea
Footman	Theo Steele
Credits back to top
Director	John Madden
Writer	Jeremy Brock
Producer	Sarah Curtis
Executive Producers	Douglas Rae Andrea Calderwood Rebecca Eaton Nigel Warren-Green
Casting Director	Michelle Guish
Composer	Stephen Warbeck
Production Designer	Martin Childs
Makeup Designer	Lisa Westcott
Costume Designer	Deirdre Clancy
Director of Photography	Richard Greatrex, B.S.C.
Editor	Robin Sales
Associate Producer	Paul Sarony
1st Assistant Director	Deborah Saban
2nd Assistant Director	Olivia Lloyd
3rd Assistant Director	Suzanne Lynch
Production Manager	Hilary Benson
Production Secretaries	Helen Dolan Alexandra McIntosh
Production Accountant	Susanna Wyatt
Assistant Accountant	Lynne Greenshields
Location Managers	Joe Gibbs Roland Caine Claire Tovey
Script Supervisor	Kim Armitrage
Art Director	Charlotte Watts
Assistant Art Director	Frances Bennett
Construction Managers	Robert Brown Stuart Watson
Prop Buyer	Gill Ducker
Prop Master	Raymond Perry
Standby Prop	Paul Bradburn Paul de Csarnatony
Standby Carpenter	David Williams
Dressing Prop	Paul Hedges Richard Stanley
Horse Wrangler	Debbie Kaye
Focus Puller	Mick Duffield
2nd Camera Focus Puller	Lorna Will
Clapper Loader	Deborah Smith
Grip	Pat Garrett
Camera Car Driver	Mitchell Edwards
Steadicam/2nd Camera Operator	Alistair Rae
Gaffer	Tony Haslam
Best Boy	Ian Jackson
Electricians	Jamie Summers David Bourke David Christopher Taylor
Sound Mixer	Alistair Crocker, A.M.P.S.
Sound Maintenance	Simon Brown
Wardrobe Supervisor	Ros Ward
Costume Assistants	Marie Ross Julian Day Lorraine Richards
Makeup Artist	Veronica Brebner
Chief Hairdresser	Beverly Binda
Special Effects	Tony Harding
Singing Coach	Kenny Hutchinson
Stunt Arranger	Andy Bradford
Stunt Performers	Tom Delmar Phil Lonergan Vincent Ginger Keane Seon Rogers Tony Lucken
Stills Photographer	Mark Tillie
Graphic Design	Penny Madden
Script Editor	Robert Bernstein
Historical Consultants	Owen Dudley Edwards Margaret Knights
Based on an idea by	George Rosie
Post Production Supervisors	Shellie Smith Stephen Barker
Post Production Coordinator	Francesca Castellano
Assistant Editor	Jonathan Sales
Sound Editor	John Downer
Dialogue Editor	Sarah Morton
Dubbing Mixer	Rupert Scrivener

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