Raised in Ilford and Southend-on-Sea, England

Played Cleopatra at the Old Vic with the National Youth Theater at age 18

Joined Royal Shakespeare Company

TV debut in BBC production of "Herostradus"

Played Hermia in a British TV adaptation of "A Midsummer's Night Dream"; directed by Peter Hall (released theatrically in the USA)

Offered memorable turn as the unclothed muse for James Mason in "Age of Consent"

Had supporting role in the BBC production of "Cousin Bette"; aired on PBS' "Masterpiece Theater" in 1972

Toured Africa and America with Peter Brook's theater company

Co-starred in Ken Russell's "Savage Messiah" and had title role in film "Miss Julie"

Appeared in Lindsay Anderson's "O Lucky Man!"

Starred opposite Michael Jayston in the thriller "Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill" (ABC); film aired in Great Britain as "Coffin for the Bride"

Won raves for playing Lady Macbeth in "Macbeth"

Garnered acclaim for her stage performance in "The Sea Gull"

Starred opposite Laurence Olivier, Alan Bates and Malcolm McDowell in British TV adaptation of Harold Pinter's play "The Collection"

Had lead role of Rosalind in the BBC/PBS production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It"; part of a series in which all the Bard's plays were performed

Co-starred in the notorious and controversial feature "Caligula"

Played the love interest to Bob Hoskins' gangster in the acclaimed "The Long Good Friday"

Was featured as Morgana (aka Morgan Le Fey) in John Boorman's "Excalibur"

Cast as the fairy queen Titania in the BBC/PBS adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

Played Imogen in the BBC/PBS version of Shakespeare's "Cymbeline"

Had second go as the Egyptian queen in "Antony and Cleopatra" opposite Michael Gambon

Offered a beautifully nuanced turn as the widow of a British soldier who falls in love with the young Irishman responsible for his death in "Cal"; earned the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival

Cast as a Russian astronaut in "2010"

Met future husband Taylor Hackford when he directed her in "White Nights"

Starred opposite Harrison Ford in "The Mosquito Coast"

Acted opposite Ben Kingsley in "Pascali's Island"

Had title role of the cheating spouse of a gangster in Peter Greenaway's "The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" opposite Michael Gambon

Created signature role of Detective Inspector Jane Tennison in the Granada Television drama "Prime Suspect" (aired in USA on PBS in 1991); reprised the role in several series between 1992 and 2006

Co-starred with Rupert Everett in the thriller "The Comfort of Strangers"

Played the queen in "Prince of Jutland/Royal Deceit," a drama that purported to tell the "real" story of Hamlet

Received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination playing the loyal queen in "The Madness of King George"; co-starring Nigel Hawthorne and Rupert Everett

Made Broadway debut in "A Month in the Country"; received a Tony nomination

First screen credit as associate producer on "Some Mother's Son"; also starred as an Irishwoman whose son is imprisoned for alleged IRA activities

Associate produced and starred as a faded rock singer turned sleuth in the British TV mystery "Painted Lady"; aired on PBS in the USA

Starred opposite Alan Rickman in the London stage production of "Antony and Cleopatra"

Voiced the Queen in the animated feature "The Prince of Egypt"

Gave a brilliant star turn in the title role of the Showtime film "The Passion of Ayn Rand"; received second Emmy Award

Cast as the titular educator in the black comedy "Teaching Mrs. Tingle"

Returned to the London stage in "Collected Stories"

Co-starred opposite Stuart Townsend in the Donmar staging of "Orpheus Descending"

Had leading comic role as a gardening expert in the British comedy "Greenfingers"; screened at Cannes; first screen teaming with Clive Owen (released theatrically in the USA in 2001)

Directed the short, "Happy Birthday" (filmed 2000); aired on Showtime as part of Directed By series in the edition entitled "On the Edge"

Returned to Broadway opposite Ian McKellen in "The Dance of Death"

Played the efficient housekeeper Mrs. Wilson in Robert Altman's "Gosford Park"; reteamed on screen with Clive Owen and Michael Gambon; earned second Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination

Cast as a ruthless TV news producer in Hal Hartley's "No Such Thing"

Co-starred in the Television movie "Door To Door"; earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie; received an Emmy nomination for Supporting Actress

Starred in the television feature "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone"; received Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG nominations for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie

Starred in "Calender Girls"as one of the women of the Rylstone Women's Institute in North Yorkshire that posed nude in 1999, to raise money for Leukemia; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress

Returned as Inspector Jane Tennison to the PBS Masterpiece Theatre miniseries "Prime Suspect 6: The Last Witness''; received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (2004)

Appeared in the Comedy "Raising Helen" directed by Garry Marshall

Co-starred with Robert Redford and Willem Dafoe in the thriller "The Clearing"

Starred opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. in Lee Daniels' indie film "Shadowboxer"

Reprised role of Inspector Jane Tennison in the PBS Masterpiece Theatre miniseries "Prime Suspect: The Final Act"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Movie

Offered an award winning performance as the Queen of England in the Channel 4/HBO joint production of "Elizabeth I"

Portrayed Queen Elizabeth II following the tragic death of Diana, Princess Of Wales in "The Queen"

Published her memoir, In the Frame (Atria Books)