Judi Dench Says Macular Degeneration Has Ended Her Stage and Screen Career
Dame Judi Dench, aged 91, revealed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that she can no longer act because of age-related macular degeneration, preventing her from reading and performing on stage. Diagnosed in 2012, she has had difficulty recognizing faces. Her memoir, titled "Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?," co-written with Brendan O'Hea, is set to release soon. Dench, who won an Oscar for her supporting role in 1999 and was the first woman to portray "M" in the James Bond series, was honored with a West End theater named after her in June. In October 2024, she will also become a patron for a sight loss charity.
Key facts
- Dench was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration in 2012
- She made the statements on BBC Radio 4's Today programme to Emma Barnett
- She is 91 years old
- Her memoir Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It? was written with Brendan O'Hea
- She won the best supporting actress Oscar for Shakespeare in Love in 1999
- She debuted as "M" in GoldenEye in 1995, the first woman in the role
- A West End theatre was named after her in June
- She became patron of an eyesight loss fund in October 2024
Entities
Artists
- Judi Dench
- Emma Barnett
- Brendan O'Hea
- Sidney Poitier
- Richard Eyre
- David Spedding
- William Shakespeare
Institutions
- BBC
- BBC Radio 4
- Today programme
- Academy Awards
- MI6
- James Bond
Locations
- United Kingdom
- New York
- United States
- West End
- London
- Britain