Dame Judi Dench is an English actress who has worked in theatre, television, and film. Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years, she played in several of Shakespeare's plays in such roles as Ophelia in Hamlet, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. She branched into film work, and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer; however, most of her work during this period was in theatre.