The Best of the English Actors

The Best of the English Actors

The United Kingdom has given the world some of the most important actors of our time. Some hail from the big city, some from the outlying suburbs, and some still call Britain home to this day, despite working abroad when they need to.

Here are a few of the best of them:

Kate Winslet

Reading, United Kingdom

Reading is the town in Southern England that gave us Miss Kate Winslet many years ago. She currently lives in the United States due to work opportunities, but visits home as often as she can. She’s been spotted dining with friends in Shoreditch while in London many a time.

You’ll know her from Titanic, or if you don’t, you should. She also starred in one of my all time favorite films The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind alongside Jim Carrey in a serious role.

by Andrea Raffin – Wikimedia Commons

Judi Dench

York, United Kingdom

Dame Judith Olivia Dench is one of the most esteemed actresses on the planet. She was born in the northern town of York in 1934, and made her acting debuts on the stage in multiple Shakespearean pieces.

Dench was recognized by the Queen of England early on as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. She was officially made a Dame in 1988, in a private and prestigious service hosted in London central; not something you get to see on a guided walking tour.

by Caroline Bonarde Ucci – Wikimedia Commons

Idris Elba

Hackney, London, United Kingdom

Most people believe Idris Elba to have been born in Ghana and to have moved to the UK with his parents later on. He was, in fact, born right here in Hackney in East London; his mother is Ghanaian.

Idris Elba is an east Londoner through and through. He grew up attending school here and causing havoc on the streets of Shoreditch and Stoke Newington.

He very recently got married in an elaborate wedding in Morocco. He lives between his homes in London and Atlanta in the United States.

by Harald Krichel – Wikimedia Commons

Helena Bonham Carter

London, United Kingdom

Another one of my favorite performers who hails from London Town as well. Helena Bonham Carter is neighbors with Idris Elba; she’s from Islington, the borough right next to Hackney.

Helena is married to filmmaker Tim Burton. The two live in Belsize Park in northern London, but they don’t technically live together. They have two houses build next to one another that are connected via a bridge. They like their space.

by David Torcivia – Wikimedia Commons

Colin Firth

Grayshott, United Kingdom

Everyone went though that 90s rom-com phase where they fantasied about leaving school, traveling to London and falling in love with Colin Firth during a chance encounter on the streets of Kensington.

Firth is from Grayshott, but spent a lot of his post-school life in London Town trying to make it big. He now lives with his family between Chiswick in London and their second home in Italy.

by Staff Sgt. Carlos Lazo – Wikimedia Commons

Ian McKellen

Burnley, United Kingdom

Sir Ian McKellen was knighted by her majesty the queen in 1991 as an acknowledgment of his outstanding service within the performing arts.

McKellen was born in Burnley in 1939, and has had a tremendously successful acting career worldwide. He made the move to London early on, where he pursued multiple stage and television roles. He lives here to this day, and can be seen in the up and coming Cats live-action film that is to be released soon!

by Gage Skidmore – Wikimedia Commons

Tilda Swinton

London, United Kingdom

Tilda Swinton is one of the most beautiful, unusual and striking faces you’ll ever find on the big screen. Her work across both big budget and independent cinema is always groundbreaking and haunting; she is a national treasure without a doubt.

Tilda was born and bred in the heart of London Town. Like so many before her, she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company early on and began her debut into the performance world.

Swinton chose to settle in Scotland, and lives here with her family.

by Nicogenin – Wikimedia Commons

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Swansea, United Kingdom

Not many people know that Catherine Zeta-Jones isn’t actually American; she does the accent so well that you’d never guess otherwise.

She is Welsh, and was born in Swansea in the United Kingdom. As a child she aspired to be an actress and she was taken to London by her parents where she performed on West End in a number of productions.

She is married to American actor, Michael Douglas. They have a son and a daughter & spent their recent years living in Bermuda, but they have recently relocated and settled in New York City.

by David Shankbone – Wikimedia Commons

Keira Knightley

Teddington, United Kingdom

Another national treasure and absolute dream woman, Keira Knightley comes from Teddington in London, where both her parents lived and worked as theatre actors.

Following in their footsteps, Knightley was set up with an agent at the age of six and began performing in small productions and television commercials. Her breakthrough came when she was cast as the lead in the film Bend it Like Beckham, shot in and around London. Some of the filming locations can still be seen during guided walking tours in the city.

Fast forward a few years and we find her in many major blockbuster films internationally, including the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

by Caroline Bonarde Ucci – Wikimedia Commons

Maggie Smith

Ilford, United Kingdom

If the UK hadn’t given us J.K. Rowling, the world wouldn’t have Harry Potter. And the character of Professor Minerva McGonagall would never have laded in Maggie Smith’s very deserving lap.

Maggie Smith was born and raised in Ilford, in East London. She was here long before Helena Bonham Carter and Idris Elba ever knew what a cinema was, and paved way for British women to find equality in the film industries around the world.

She currently lives between London and Sussex.