A Field Guide To Dame Helen Mirren

That's right, it's time to crush on a babe with an honorific. Helen Mirren is 66 years old, a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and she was recently named "Body of the Year" by L.A. Fitness. She's the ultimate cougar! And she's frequently naked!

Helen Mirren was born Helen Lydia Mironoff on July 26, 1945 in Chiswick, London. Her father, Vasiliy Petrovich Mironov, changed the name to the Scottish-sounding Mirren in the 1950s (he became known as Basil Mirren, which we think is a lovely name).

Her theatrical education started at St. Bernard's High School for Girls where she performed in school productions, continued at the New College of Speech and Drama in London, and blossomed when she was accepted into the National Youth Theater. Mirren's stage career took off from there, and over the past fifty years, she's worked with numerous notable theater companies in America and the United Kingdom.

Instead of describing the path of Helen Mirren's film and television career, it's easier to mention the awards she's won (for which there is an entire Wikipedia page): she received the Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA award, and innumerable other smaller props for playing Elizabeth II in "The Queen," the Screen Actors' Guild gave her much love for "Gosford Park," she received three Emmys for various seasons of the UK series "Prime Suspect," she got two Tony Awards for Best Actress (one for "A Month in the Country" in 1995 and another for "The Dance of Death" in 2002), and in 2006, she received the Critics' Circle Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts.

Speaking of honors, Helen Mirren declined the honour (yes, spelled that way) of being appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996. She's noted that her upbringing was "very anti-monarchist," but when she was offered the honour of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, her friends convinced her to take it.

Perhaps Mirren was wary of accepting an award for anything not related to her smokin' hot bod? We joke, of course, but Mirren has always received a lot of attention for her curvy hips and ample cleavage (all of which you can appreciate in the photos and videos in this gallery), so it's no surprise that she'd be named "Body of the Year" by L.A. Fitness. It's not the most glamorous award she's ever received, and it's really just based on a poll of 2,000 people, but it's quite impressive when you think about the other nominees. Mirren beat out Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Brook, Elle MacPherson, Kate Winslet, and even Pippa Middleton! The public loves Pippa, but not as much as this Dame. (Pippa Middleton did receive the title of "Rear of the Year" as a consolation prize.)

We hope Mirren's husband, Taylor Hackford, is willing to share Helen with us, because we love her ever so much. She constantly dazzles the world with her sharp wit, emotional performances, and effortless elegance, and the fact that she's cool with nudity is always a major plus. Don't get it twisted now: we would be obsessed with her even if she never showed an inch of skin, but the fact that she does gives us an excuse to talk about her on this website.

[Mirren on Mirren action (one of them is made of wax, by the way) via Vancouver Sun (vancouversun.com)]

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"Herostratus" (1967) (imdb.com)