One of the best-loved and most highly respected actresses in the world today, Dame Helen Mirren is a chameleon of an actress who has turned her hand to a huge variety of roles. Unearthing the amazing woman behind the professional, this biography traces how a struggling actress with a passion for Shakespeare quickly made her mark on the stage, and went on from there to impress audiences and critics with a host of challenging and varied screen roles, from The Cook, The Thief, and His Wife and Her Lover to her more recent appearances in Calendar Girls, the Prime Suspect television series, her acclaimed performance in The Queen, and the multiple award-winning Elizabeth I, for which she won an Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy. Truly a must-have for fans and film buffs alike, this fascinating read charts an incredible woman through her struggle to the top, her relationships with fellow actors including Liam Neeson, and her marriage to film director Taylor Hackman.