Dame Helen Lydia Mirren, (; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. Excelling on stage with the National Youth Theatre, her performance as Cleopatra in "Antony and Cleopatra" in 1965 saw her invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company before she made her West End stage debut in 1975. Since then, Mirren has also had success in television and film. She has achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in the US and the UK, the only person to do so in both countries. She won an Academy Award and a BAFTA Film Award for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen", a Tony Award and an Olivier Award