Spent first five years in Ilford, England

Family moved to Oxford

Was an assistant stage manager and performer at the Oxford Playhouse

Stage debut in Oxford University Dramatic Society production of "Twelfth Night"

Broadway debut in the sketch revue "New Faces of '56"

Made uncredited appearance as a party guest in "Child in the House"

Made London stage debut in "Share My Lettuce"

Official feature film debut in "Nowhere to Go"

Was a member of the Old Vic company, where she first played opposite Laurence Olivier in "Rhinoceros"

Offered praiseworthy performances in "The Public Ear" and "The Private Eye"

First major film role, opposite Rod Taylor and Richard Burton in "The VIPs"

Joined National Theatre as a charter member; played Desdemona to Olivier's "Othello"

Earned first Academy Award nomination reprising her stage role of Desdemona in a film adaptation of "Othello"

Had title role in the National Theatre production of "Miss Julie"

Played featured role in "The Honey Pot"

Won first Oscar for the role of a fascistic Scottish schoolteacher at an all-girl's school in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie"

Headlined a London production of Noel Coward's "Private Lives"

Earned Best Actress Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for "Travels with My Aunt"

Made rare TV guest appearance on "The Carol Burnett Show" (CBS)

Played Dora Charleston, a spoof of Myrna Loy's Nora Charles in the Neil Simon-scripted "Murder By Death"

Headlined an L.A. stage production of "The Guardsman"

Won second Oscar for her turn opposite Michael Caine playing an Oscar-nominated actress in "California Suite"; scripted by Neil Simon

Offered a scene-stealing turn in "Death on the Nile"; adapted from an Agatha Christie mystery

Returned to Broadway recreating her London stage role in Tom Stoppard's play "Night and Day"; earned a Tony nomination

Portrayed writer Virginia Woolf in "Virgina" at Stratford (recreated the role in London's West End in 1981)

Co-starred with Michael Palin in the comedy "The Missionary"

Acted in second film adapted from an Agatha Christie mystery "Evil Under the Sun"

Reteamed with Palin to co-star in the Alan Bennett-scripted comedy "A Private Function"

Co-starred as the meddling chaperone in "A Room with a View"; earned Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination

Made rare but memorable TV appearance in the "Bed Among the Lentils" segment of the "Talking Heads" series of one-person dramas scripted by Alan Bennett; premiered on British TV and aired in USA on PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre"

Created the role of Lettice Douffet in Peter Shaffer's play "Lettice and Lovage" in London; reprised role in NYC in 1990 and earned a Tony Award

Played an aged Wendy Darling in the Steven Spielberg directed, "Hook"

Co-starred with Whoopi Goldberg as the mother superior in the comedy "Sister Act"; reprised role in "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" (1993)

Starred in TV remake of Tennessee Williams' "Suddenly, Last Summer" (PBS); garnered an Emmy nomination

Played Lady Bracknell in a highly praised turn in London revival of "The Importance of Being Earnest"

Cast as Mrs. Metlock in the remake of "The Secret Garden"

Starred in London staging of Edward Albee's award-winning "Three Tall Women"

Played the Duchess of York in "Richard III" starring Ian McKellen and directed by Richard Loncraine

Reprised TV role in London stage production of "Bed Among the Lentils"

Earned praise for her turn as the meddlesome aunt in "Washington Square"

Starred in the London stage production of Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance"

Reteamed with Michael Caine for the supernatural comedy "Curtain Call" (aired on Starz!)

Appeared alongside Judi Dench, Cher and Joan Plowright in Franco Zeffirelli's "Tea With Mussolini"

Played Aunt Betsey in BBC remake of "David Copperfield"; aired in USA on PBS in 2000; received Emmy nomination

Starred in Alan Bennett's play "The Lady in the Van"

Headlined the British film "The Last September" as a member of the British aristocracy in 1920s Ireland

Portrayed the contemptuous Countess of Trentham in Robert Altman's ensemble "Gosford Park"; earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination

Portrayed Prof. Minerva McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"; adapted from the first novel in the best-sellling fantasy series by J.K. Rowling

Reprised role of Professor McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

Starred opposite Judi Dench in David Hare's stage play "The Breath of Life"; reprised role on Broadway in 2003

Starred in the tv-movie "My House in Umbria"; received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress

Again portrayed Professor McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" directed by Alfonso Cuarón

Reprised role of Prof. McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" directed by Mike Newell

Played Rowan Atkinson’s housekeeper in the British comedy “Keeping Mum”

Reprised the role of Prof. McGonagall in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

Appeared opposite Anne Hathaway in the period film, "Becoming Jane"