Actresses Who Have Played the late Queen Elizabeth II on Screen and the Stage

01 of 10

Helen Mirren in The Queen

HELEN MIRREN, THE QUEEN — Moviestore/Re/Rex USA

When it comes to capturing the Queen on screen, no one has done it better than Helen Mirren, who first took on the role of the legendary monarch in the 2006 film The Queen, which followed Queen Elizabeth in the aftermath of Princess Diana's death. Although the Queen couldn't award her for the performance (Mirren had already been made a Dame in 2003), she did win an Oscar for the film.

02 of 10

Helen Mirren in The Audience

HELEN MIRREN, THE AUDIENCE — Bruce Glikas/Filmmagic

Mirren was so good at capturing Queen Elizabeth in The Queen that she was asked to play her again, this time onstage in The Audience, a play that premiered on London's West End and later made its way to Broadway. Unlike The Queen, The Audience focused on a long stretch of Elizabeth's 70-year reign, depicting her imagined meetings with prime ministers from Winston Churchill to David Cameron. Mirren won a Tony for this performance. Kristin Scott Thomas later took her place in the play.

03 of 10

Claire Foy in The Crown

CLAIRE FOY, THE CROWN — Photograp/Rex USA

Foy took on the Queen's early life, from when she was still just Princess Elizabeth through her early years on the throne. The actress took home a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her performance. Given the show's span over more than half a century of the monarch's historic reign, Foy was eventually replaced by Olivia Colman in seasons 3-4 and Imelda Staunton in seasons 5-6.

04 of 10

Olivia Colman in The Crown

The Crown Olivia Colman — Olivia Colman in The Crown. Des Willie/Netflix

Colman took over in seasons 3 and 4 of The Crown, depicting the Queen from her late thirties to early sixties. She also picked up an Emmy and Golden Globe for her acting work.

05 of 10

Imelda Staunton in The Crown

The Crown's Imelda Staunton Braves The Scottish Sea As She Films The Crown On A Boat In The Open Water — Imelda Staunton in The Crown. SplashNews.com

For the final two seasons of The Crown, Staunton stepped into Queen Elizabeth's sensible shoes. Season 5 saw the demise of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage, while season 6, the final for the series, will see the beginning of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance.

06 of 10

Jane Alexander in William & Catherine

JANE ALEXANDER, WILLIAM & CATHERINE: A ROYAL ROMANCE — Gabriel Hennessey/Hallmark/Crown Media U.S./Everett

Prince William and Kate Middleton's college romance and subsequent fairytale wedding served as the inspiration for many pop-culture recreations, including the made-for-TV movie William & Catherine: A Royal Romance. Jane Alexander's Queen played a big part in the 2011 film and frequently engaged in sit-downs with her granddaughter-in-law-to-be.

07 of 10

Freya Wilson in The King's Speech

FREYA WILSON, THE KING'S SPEECH — The Weinstein Company/Everett

The King's Speech, released in 2010, tells the story of Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI. However, Elizabeth, played by Wilson, made an appearance in the film as a young girl who was blissfully unaware of what the future held for her.

08 of 10

Emma Thompson in Walking the Dogs

While Thompson is an Oscar-winning actress, her portrayal of the Queen in 2012's Walking the Dogs has gone unseen by many. The short film follows a fictional Buckingham Palace break-in, where an intruder sneaks into the Queen's room for a chat while her security guard is taking the corgis for a walk.

09 of 10

Jeanette Charles in National Lampoon's European Vacation

Playing the Queen is a lofty task, but Charles has made a living doing so. As a professional "Queen Elizabeth lookalike," she's played Her Majesty in everything from National Lampoon's European Vacation to Austin Powers in Goldmember.

10 of 10

Rosemary Leach in Margaret

ROSEMARY LEACH, MARGARET — Cambridge Jones/Getty

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was the real star of the 2009 made-for-TV movie Margaret, however, the Queen's part in the film stirred up quite a bit of controversy. The film implied that Elizabeth had encouraged Thatcher to resign from her post as prime minister — a claim Buckingham Palace refused to confirm. Instead, the Palace released a statement that said: "We never discuss anything regarding meetings that the Queen has with any of her prime ministers."