Hopkins, Dench voted greatest Brit actors

Judi Dench got an Oscar for her Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.

Both enjoyed long careers that saw them progress from the National Theatre to Hollywood, eventually becoming titled members of the British establishment. And the British public have just named Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Judi Dench the greatest actors Britain has produced.

Hopkins' performances as the serial killer Hannibal Lecter, and Stevens, the emotionally constricted butler in The Remains of the Day, turned him into a superstar.

They also helped the Rada-trained Welshman relegate the grand old man of the British stage and screen, Lord Olivier, into a humbling second place.

Hopkins has the distinction of being cast in the Hollywood roles of two US presidents - Richard Nixon in Nixon and John Quincy Adams in Amistad, getting Oscar nods for both. But it was his performance in Silence of the Lambs that earned him an Academy Award and global fame.

Some may find his elevation above Lord Olivier surprising.

Olivier, the great Shakespearean player, is interred at Westminster Abbey - only the second actor to be honoured this way. Olivier was nominated for 11 Oscars and was the founding director of the National Theatre - where so many of the other actors on the list went on to thrill audiences.

But even though he worked right up until his death in 1989, he had not had a major film role for nearly a decade, dramatically reducing his current fan base.

Former milkman Sir Sean Connery, who was voted into third place ahead of Sir Alec Guinness, had a successful career in the early days of TV before thrilling the cinematic world with six roles as James Bond. He won an Oscar for his portrayal of the Chicago cop Jimmy Malone in 1987's The Untouchables. Sir Michael Caine, another product of the 1960s British cinema renaissance, was voted fifth.

Dame Judi Dench headed the list of illustrious female actors. She has a clutch of Baftas to her name, a distinguished stage career and a loyal television following. She got an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the 1998 film Shakespeare in Love in which she played Queen Elizabeth I.

In a stamp of her versatility, the following year she won a Tony Award as Best Actress in David Hare's Broadway play, Amy's View.

Julie Walters is second on the female list. She is the only actor - male or female - to make the top five not to have received a title from the Queen, although she got an OBE in 1999. The Birmingham-born actress became prominent after the 1983 film Educating Rita. Her recent appearances in two Harry Potter films, Calendar Girls and Billy Elliot have helped turn her into an international star of considerable standing.

In third place was double Oscar-winning star Dame Elizabeth Taylor, followed by Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Julie Andrews.

On screen

* What: Judi Dench stars in Ladies in Lavender. Anthony Hopkins stars in New Zealand-made film The World's Fastest Indian.
* Where & when: Ladies in Lavender is at the Bridgeway and Lido Cinemas. The World's Fastest Indian is due out on Thursday, October 13.
* More:A 20th anniversary season of Room With A View, starring Dench, opens at Auckland's Academy Cinema today.

- INDEPENDENT