Editing Judi Dench (section)

==Early life, ancestry, and education==
Dench was born in the [[Heworth, York|Heworth]] area of [[York]] on 9 December 1934,<ref>{{cite news |title=Entertainment: Hollywood's premier Dame |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1839300.stm |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=24 February 2002 |access-date=13 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Why Judi is such an inspiration |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/4314076.why-judi-is-such-an-inspiration/ |newspaper=[[The Press (York)|The Press]] |date=23 April 2009 |access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref> the daughter of an English father and an Irish mother. Her father, Reginald Arthur Dench [[Military Cross|MC]] & [[Medal bar|Bar]] (1897–1964), was a doctor from [[Dorset]] who grew up primarily in [[Dublin]] and who fought on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in the First World War.<ref name="WDYTYA">{{cite web |title=Who Do You Think You Are? – Series 18: 2. Dame Judi Dench |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0010st7/who-do-you-think-you-are-series-18-2-dame-judi-dench |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Dench |first=Dame Judi |title=Dame Judi Dench on Playing the Inspiring Philomena |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/22/dame-judi-dench-on-playing-the-inspiring-philomena.html |work=The Daily Beast |date=22 November 2013 |access-date=11 February 2014}}</ref> Her mother, Eleanora Olive (née Jones; 1897–1983), was born in Dublin, and her parents met while studying at [[Trinity College Dublin]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Importance of Dame Judi |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/2241129.stm |publisher=BBC News |date=6 September 2002 |access-date=16 February 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The Extraordinary Story of an Extraordinary Woman &#124; Judi Dench |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/judi-dench/philomena-lee-film_b_4222611.html |work=The Huffington Post |date=6 November 2013 |access-date=11 February 2014}}</ref> 

In October 2021, Dench was the subject of BBC One's ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]'', where it was revealed that she is descended from the [[Bille (noble family)|Bille family]] of [[Danish nobility|Danish aristocrats]], and [[Steen Andersen Bille]] (1624–1698), the illegitimate son of {{ill|Anders Steensen Bille|da}} (1578–1633),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/who-was-judi-dench-astronomer-relative-tycho-brahe/|title = Who was Judi Dench's astronomer relative Tycho Brahe?}}</ref> as well as [[Claus Bille]] (1490–1558), a grandfather of Danish astronomer [[Tycho Brahe]] (1546–1601), member of the Danish noble [[Brahe|Brahe family]]. She is a cousin of Greek-Australian actors [[Rebekah Elmaloglou]] and [[Sebastian Elmaloglou]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=Rebekah+Elmaloglou&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news940507_0272_5284|title=Rebekah Plays The Waiting|work=[[The Sun-Herald]]|publisher=[[Fairfax Media]]|first=Heath|last=Gilmore|date=7 May 1994|page=143|access-date=7 June 2011|archive-date=5 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605170914/http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/viewDocument.ac?page=1&sy=age&kw=Rebekah+Elmaloglou&pb=all_ffx&dt=selectRange&dr=entire&so=relevance&sf=text&sf=headline&rc=10&rm=200&sp=nrm&clsPage=1&docID=news940507_0272_5284|url-status=dead}}</ref> Her niece, [[Emma Dench]], is an historian of [[ancient Rome]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Emma Dench|url=http://harvardmagazine.com/2010/03/emma-dench|access-date=11 September 2010|newspaper=[[Harvard Magazine]]|date=March–April 2010}}</ref> 

Dench attended [[The Mount School, York|the Mount School]], a [[Quaker]] independent secondary school in York, and became a [[Quakers|Quaker]].<ref name="retirement">{{cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Billington (critic) |title=Please God, not retirement |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/oscars2006/story/0,,1699880,00.html |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=12 September 2005 |access-date=16 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="dame">{{cite news |last=Billington |first=Michael |title=Judi Dench: Nothing like the Dame |url=http://film.guardian.co.uk/Feature_Story/Guardian/0,,44053,00.html |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=23 March 1998 |access-date=16 February 2009}}</ref> She had two elder brothers named Peter Dench (Doctor) (1925–2017) and [[Jeffery Dench|Jeffery]] (1928–2014), the latter of whom also became an actor.<ref name="retirement" /><ref name="dame" /> 

Through her parents, Dench had regular contact with the theatre: her father was the [[General practitioner|GP]] for [[York Theatre Royal]], and her mother was its wardrobe mistress.<ref name="Talk">{{cite web |url=http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/judi-dench/biography/61?page=1 |title=Judi Dench – biography |publisher=TalkTalk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924113330/http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/judi-dench/biography/61?page=1 |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> Actors often stayed in the Dench household. During these years, Judi Dench was involved on a non-professional basis in the first three productions of the modern revival of the [[York Mystery Plays]] in 1951, 1954 and 1957.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mystery Plays Archive |url=http://www.yorkmysteryplays.org |publisher=National Centre for Early Music |access-date=11 March 2018}}</ref> In the third production she played the role of the [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Virgin Mary]], performed on a fixed stage in the [[York Museum Gardens|Museum Gardens]].<ref name=mysteries>{{cite news |title=Dame Judi speaks up for Mystery Plays |date=18 September 2003 |url=http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/CAMPAIGNS/2003/09sep/030918judi.shtml |url-status=dead |work=HoldTheFrontPage.co.uk |access-date=29 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209124215/http://www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/campaigns/2003/09sep/030918judi.shtml |archive-date=9 December 2006 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> 

Though she initially trained as a set designer, Dench became interested in drama school as her brother Jeff attended the [[Central School of Speech and Drama]].<ref name="Talk" /> She was also inspired by seeing [[Peggy Ashcroft]] play [[Antony and Cleopatra|Cleopatra]] on stage, which she later said "changed my life".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/judi-dench-peggy-ashcroft-fairfield-halls-a4239861.html |title=Judi Dench: 'Seeing Peggy Ashcroft play Cleopatra on stage changed my life' |work=Evening Standard |first=Mariaelena |last=Agostini |date=18 September 2019 |access-date=25 April 2021}}</ref> She applied and was accepted by the Central School,<ref name="cssd">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cssd.ac.uk/alumni/our-alumni/high-profile-alumni|title=Central School of Speech and Drama High Profile Alumni|work=cssd.ac.uk|access-date=3 March 2025|archive-date=6 May 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220506015319/https://www.cssd.ac.uk/alumni/our-alumni/high-profile-alumni|url-status=live}}</ref>  then based at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London, where she was a classmate of [[Vanessa Redgrave]], graduating and being awarded four acting prizes, including the Gold Medal as Outstanding Student.<ref name="Talk" />