Judi Dench regular contact with the theatre. Her father, a physician, was also the GP for the York theatre, and her mother was its wardrobe mistress. 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. In the third production she played the role of the Virgin Mary, performed on a fixed stage in the Museum Gardens. Though she initially trained as a set designer, she became interested in drama school as her brother Jeff
Knight the surname. So, Elton John may be called "Sir Elton" or "Sir Elton John", but never "Sir John". Similarly, actress Judi Dench DBE may be addressed as "Dame Judi" or "Dame Judi Dench", but never "Dame Dench". Wives of knights, however, are entitled to the honorific pre-nominal "Lady" before their husband's surname. Thus Sir Paul McCartney's ex-wife was formally styled "Lady McCartney" (rather than "Lady Paul McCartney" or "Lady Heather McCartney"). The style "Dame Heather McCartney" could be used for the wife of a knight; however, this style is largely archaic and is only used in the most formal of