Judi Dench: "I can no longer act due to an eye condition"

Judi Dench, one of the most acclaimed and award-winning British actresses, has publicly announced that she can no longer act. The cause is a degenerative eye disease that prevents her from seeing clearly. Dench, 91, stated that the condition makes it impossible for her to read scripts and distinguish the faces of her colleagues on set, essential elements for her profession.

The announcement, made on October 23, 2026, marks a turning point in the long and illustrious career of the actress, winner of an Oscar and numerous other international awards. The news immediately sparked widespread resonance in the entertainment world and among her many fans, who remember her for iconic roles such as M in seven James Bond films and Queen Victoria in "Mrs. Brown."

Judi Dench, born in 1934, has been a central figure in British theatre and cinema for decades. Her career began on the stage of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s, where she established herself as one of the greatest Shakespearean interpreters of her generation. Her transition to film came later in life, but it was swift and triumphant: she received her first Oscar nomination at age 63 for "Mrs. Brown" (1997) and won the statuette two years later as Best Supporting Actress in "Shakespeare in Love" (1998).

Her most popular role was that of M, the head of the secret service, in the James Bond saga, which she played from 1995 to 2012. In recent years, despite her advanced age, she had continued to work, becoming a symbol of longevity and artistic passion. The eye disease, for which clinical details were not specified, therefore represents the direct and sudden cause that interrupted this extraordinary activity, forcing into retirement an artist who, until very recently, was still active.