16 entertainers who are also British dames
Here's a look at 16 actresses, singers and other entertainers who are Dame Commanders of the Order of the British Empire.
*This list does not include non-British actresses who have received honorary damehoods.
Judi Dench
Judi Dench was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1988.
She's shown posing at The Aldwych Theatre in London, Tuesday Feb, 10, 1998, after being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.Â
Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith was made a dame in 1990.
She's shown her in the film "A Room With A View," 1986.
Diana Rigg
Actress Diana Rigg was made a dame in 1994.
She's shown here giving a thumbs-up sign backstage with her Tony award for best actress in a play for "Medea" at the 48th Annual Tony Awards ceremony at New York's Gershwin Theatre, Sunday, June 12, 1994.Â
Elizabeth Taylor
Actress Elizabeth Taylor after receiving the honour of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony held at London's Buckingham Palace Tuesday, May 16, 2000.
Julie Andrews
Dame Julie Andrews, after receiving the honour of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, at a ceremony held at London's Buckingham Palace Tuesday, May 16, 2000.Â
Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003.
She's shown here during an interview Jan. 8, 2003, in Los Angeles.Â
Harriet Walter
Actress Harriet Walter was made a dame in 2011.
She's shown here posing for a portrait in promotion of her role in the ABC network series, "The Assets," on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2014 in New York.
Angela Lansbury
British actress and singer Angela Lansbury was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014.
She's shown here on stage at the Gielgud Theatre in central London, as she returns to the West End this spring for the first time in nearly 40 years, with the play, Blithe Spirit, by Noel Coward, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2014.Â
Kristin Scott Thomas
Actress Kristin Scott Thomas displays her Dame Commander of the British Empire medal presented to her by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, at Buckingham Palace, in London, Thursday, March 19, 2015.
Joan Collins
Joan Collins holds her insignia of Dame Commander of the British Empire, after it was awarded to her by Britain's Prince Charles at an Investiture Ceremony, at Buckingham Palace in central London, Thursday March 26, 2015.
Olivia de Havilland
Actress Olivia de Havilland poses was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2017. She's the oldest woman to have received that honor. Havilland was 2 weeks away from her 101st birthday at the time.
She's shown here during an Associated Press interview, in Paris, Saturday, June 18, 2016.
Joan Plowright
Tony and Golden Globe-winning actress Joan Plowright was made a Dame in 2004. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)
Julie Walters
Actress Julie Walters poses for the media after she made a Dame by Britain's Queen Elizabeth at an Investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. (Steve Parsons/Pool Photo via AP)
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson stands outside Buckingham Palace, London, after being made a Dame Commander of the British Empire by Prince William on Wednesday Nov. 7, 2018. (Jonathan Brady/Pool via AP)
Lesley "Twiggy" Lawson
The 1960s model Lesley "Twiggy" Lawson arrives at Buckingham Palace, in London, Thursday March 14, 2019, where she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to fashion, the arts and charity, during an Investiture ceremony conducted by Britain's Prince Charles. (Yui Mok/PA via AP)
Olivia Newton-John
Actress Olivia Newton-John was made a Dame in 2020. She's shown here attending the 2018 G'Day USA Los Angeles Gala at the InterContinental Hotel Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
What do Judi Dench, Julie Andrews and Joan Collins have in common?
Here's a look at 16 actresses, singers and other entertainers who are Dame Commanders of the Order of the British Empire.