An icon of our times, the late Queen Elizabeth II has been portrayed on film and TV by many actresses (and even a few actors).
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Her coronation in 1953 was the first to be televised and her reign was the first to welcome the advent of the Internet, and streaming services.
Her cameos fill hours of viewing time and her portrayals have won actresses numerous awards.
It would be impossible to document every single time the likeness of Her Majesty graced our silver screens in the 70 years since she ascended to the throne.
In other news:
From serious depictions to lighthearted lampooning, Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II was well and truly the queen for the screen.
Here are a few of our favourite moments.
![Who played it best? Olivia Colman (top left), Claire Foy (top right), The Simpsons Queen voiced by Eddie Izzard (middle left), Imelda Staunton (left middle), Minions Queen voiced by Jennifer Saunders (bottom left) and Helen Mirren (bottom right). Who played it best? Olivia Colman (top left), Claire Foy (top right), The Simpsons Queen voiced by Eddie Izzard (middle left), Imelda Staunton (left middle), Minions Queen voiced by Jennifer Saunders (bottom left) and Helen Mirren (bottom right).](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Emma.Horn/fe73fa20-fc39-4a2a-9253-633b5e98d635.png/r0_0_1920_1079_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
1. The Crown
Take your pick of three phenomenal actresses who have played the Queen on The Crown.
In 2016, Claire Foy brought the young Queen back to our television screens for the Netflix release. Over two seasons, she depicted the youthful monarch's rise to the thrown, and her challenges in and out of the spotlight.
Her acting won her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
After two seasons, in 2019, the effervescent Olivia Colman took over to portray the Queen through her middle age - or her "old bat" stage, as the actress delicately concludes in one of the opening scenes of the third season.
![Olivia Colman played Queen Elizabeth II in the third and fourth season of The Crown. Picture supplied by Netflix. Olivia Colman played Queen Elizabeth II in the third and fourth season of The Crown. Picture supplied by Netflix.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Emma.Horn/69afacf6-ac7c-42d7-bdd2-97ed04f4b798.png/r0_0_1343_888_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Her stunning depiction earned her both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for her turn as the reigning monarch.
But it's unsurprising really, the star has had several turns at playing British monarchs.
She'd actually already given the role a go in 2011 when she briefly played Queen Elizabeth II in the Margaret Thatcher story, Iron Lady.
And then in 2018, Colman played Queen Anne in The Favourite. She comes from a long line of royal acting!
Now, it's Imelda Staunton's time to shine. The Harry Potter star is set to bring the final season of The Crown to screens in November, 2022.
If it wasn't a big enough job to step into the shoes of Colman and Foy, Staunton will also be the first actress to play the role following the Queen's death
2. The 'epitome of nobility'
She may well be the queen of acting, and at the very least her superb acting was enough to be given a chivalric title by the Queen in 2003.
Dame Helen Mirren gave one of the most iconic portrayals of the late monarch in 2006 film The Queen.
Her soliloquy to Michael Sheen's Tony Blair on the passing of Princess Diana, is well, *chef's kiss*, glorious.
To prove it was not just a role to play for Mirren, the actress joined the chorus of stars paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth. She wrote on Instagram: "I am proud to be an Elizabethan. We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility."
3. The Big Friendly Giant (BFG)
The re-telling of Roald Dahl's 1982 BFG gave Downton Abbey star Penelope Wilton the opportunity to be the Queen.
Hosting the benevolent - if outrageously clumsy - giant and his tiny orphaned friend Sophie at Buckingham Palace, Wilton's Queen portrayed more of the fun-loving side to the monarch.
She can down a few snozzcumbers too, don't you worry.
4. The cartoon Queen
Over the years there have been quite a few animated Queens brought to screens too.
Comedian Jennifer Saunders (of French and Saunders fame) lent her voice for the cause in the 2015 Minions film.
The irreverent comedy show South Park gave an animated Queen a short run in the episode 'The Snuke' which aired in 2007. The Queen was voiced by series' co-creator Trey Parker.
Though it is a well known TV truth that a star has not risen until there's a Simpson's episode about it.
![The Queen character appeared or was referenced in 10 separate episodes of The Simpsons. Picture supplied by Disney+ The Queen character appeared or was referenced in 10 separate episodes of The Simpsons. Picture supplied by Disney+](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/Emma.Horn/5cbc17dd-7c05-4da7-8f10-e4a3766a0e79.jpg/r0_0_1015_723_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
And just to prove the magnitude of Queen Elizabeth's stardom, the Queen was featured in 10 different episodes of The Simpsons.
The Queen may be the longest-serving British monarch, but The Simpsons is on its way to eclipsing that record as the longest-running series!
Over its 34 seasons (to date!), the Queen character has been voiced by many actors, including Eddie Izzard in To Surveil With Love (2010).
But perhaps her most notable portrayal was in the 15th series episode The Regina Monologues. She was voiced in that episode by Tress MacNeille.
"We Americans love queens, be them homecoming or dairy," as Homer Simpson says at the end of the episode.
5. The comedy Queen
There is something quaint about seeing an unsuspecting sovereign thrust into utter chaos. It's become a bit of a trope in films.
National Lampoon's European Vacation threw Jeannette Charles into the role of Queen in 1985, forcing Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold to make nice for the monarch.
But, of course, nothing quite tops the final scene from Johnny English Reborn (2011).
In attempt to save the sovereign from the dastardly 'Killer Cleaner', Rowan Atkinson's title character takes the impostor in a headlock, belting her about with a silver tray, to the horrified silence of Gillian Anderson's Agent Pegasus.
Once the cornered culprit is silenced (likely by a tray-induced concussion), two guards stumble into the room from the other side ... flanking the real Killer Cleaner.
Cut to credits and pop the kettle on!