The Art of Aging on Screen: Judi Dench at 90

Dame Judi Dench at 90: still wicked, still winning, still very much alive.

Still alive, still wicked, still reigning supreme.

There’s a certain question that seems to make the rounds at cocktail parties these days, usually after the second martini: “Wait, is Judi Dench still alive?”

Yes. Yes, she is. And at 90, she’s doing what she’s always done—making the rest of us look lazy, underdressed, and slightly less interesting.

She has the titles: Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Oscar winner, Tony winner, BAFTA lifer. But Judi Dench has always worn her status with a wink rather than a crown. The “national treasure” label bores her, the word “feisty” makes her roll her eyes, and yet she continues to embody all the things we secretly hope aging might look like: smart, mischievous, and utterly unbothered.

While most actors flame out after 30, Judi went supernova after 60. An eight-minute cameo as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love won her an Oscar, proving you don’t need screen time—you just need screen presence. Then came Bond. As M, she stared down 007 with the calm authority of a headmistress who’s already read your essay and knows you plagiarized. Daniel Craig may have had the abs, but Judi had the gravitas. And gravitas always wins.

She’s wicked. Ask anyone who’s worked with her. She’ll drop an F-bomb in an interview, tell you she tattoos herself for fun, and casually admit that, yes, she sometimes forgets her lines but still delivers them better than most of Hollywood at their sharpest. Her honesty about aging—macular degeneration, aches, memory lapses—makes her even more irresistible. Unlike so many who try to Botox their way into immortality, Dench has leaned in. Wrinkles? Character. Forgetfulness? Comic timing. Age? Simply another act.

Think of the roles that refuse to fade: M in Bond, the boss we all secretly wish we had. Queen Victoria—twice, because once wasn’t enough. And Philomena—proof that quiet, devastating humanity beats special effects any day.

So is Judi Dench still alive? Absolutely—and more alive than most of us half her age. At 90, she’s still sharp, still funny, and still redefining what it means to grow older on screen. Forget “graceful aging.” Judi Dench is pulling off something better: irreverent, unapologetic, utterly entertaining aging. Long may she reign.