Dame Judi Dench, who turned 90 today, appeared as M in nine James Bond movies which we’ve ranked and Skyfall isn’t No 1.
(Image: MGM)
Dame celebrates her 90th birthday today and has a film back catalogue across decades to be proud of.
Yet the Oscar winner who started out in Shakespeare is best known for her nine appearances as M across the Pierce Brosnan and films.
The first female MI6 chief in the franchise (whose real name in-universe is Olivia Mansfield) stuck around for the Casino Royale reboot and died on-screen in Skyfall before a couple more cameo appearances.
Looking back, we’ve ranked them all by Dench’s appearances as M, and you may be surprised that neither Skyfall, Casino Royale, nor GoldenEye are No 1. Warning: Spoilers ahead.
9. No Time To Die (2021)
This one’s a bit cheeky and rightly deserves to be right at the bottom. Craig’s fifth and final Bond movie doesn’t feature Dench, except for a portrait of her M on the walls of MI6, alongside others from across 60 years of 007 movies.
(Image: MGM)
8. Spectre (2015)
Although her M kicked the bucket in the previous film Skyfall, Dench reprised the role for a posthumous video message to be mailed to Bond upon her death. Amusingly, she also left 007 her British bulldog ornament that he couldn’t stand. In the clip, she instructs Bond to assassinate Marco Sciarra before 007 tells Moneypenny that M never could let death get in the way of her job.
(Image: MGM)
7. Die Another Day (2002)
Taking more of a sidelined role in this fantastical adventure, Dench’s M is still just as ruthless as ever in her reluctance to spy swap Brosnan’s Bond with the North Koreans. One of the key moments is when she refuses to let MI6 be compromised when under great scrutiny: “You think I’m going to let you take me down with you?”
(Image: MGM)
6. Quantum of Solace (2008)
A continuation of Casino Royale, M aids Bond in dealing with his personal grief while handling the Quantum conspiracy. She plays a vital role in helping navigate him in the aftermath of Vesper’s death.
(Image: MGM)