Revisiting Helen Mirren’s 4 Oscar races in honor of ‘Golda’

Brian Rowe
·5 min read
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The new biographical drama “Golda” features Helen Mirren in a transformative role as Golda Meir, the so-called “Iron Lady of Israel” who faced high-stakes responsibilities and decisions during the Yom Kippur War. Written by Nicholas Martin and directed by Guy Nattiv, the Bleecker Street contender is Mirren’s first big play at a potential Academy Award nomination in many years, so let’s look back at her four Oscar races.

With a career in film going back to the 1960s, Mirren saw her first Oscar nomination in 1994 in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance in “The Madness of King George.” Directed by Nicholas Hytner, this biographical comedy-drama tells the story of King George III and how his Lieutenants tried to adjust the rules to run the country after he went mad. Mirren played his wife, Queen Charlotte, and she was one of four citations for the movie at the 67th Academy Awards, with Nigel Hawthorne also being nominated for Best Actor as King George III. Although the film received glowing reviews and did win one gold trophy — Best Art Direction-Set Direction — “The Madness of King George” never gained much traction during awards season, and Mirren faced significant competition in her category from Uma Thurman in “Pulp Fiction” and Dianne Wiest in “Bullets Over Broadway,” the latter winning her second Oscar for a Woody Allen production (the first was “Hannah and Her Sisters”).

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Mirren’s next Academy Award nomination came in 2001 in the Best Supporting Actress category for the all-star mystery drama “Gosford Park,” directed by Robert Altman. The film is about a group of rich and famous who get together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort, each becoming a suspect after a murder takes place. Featuring a stunning cast including Kristin Scott Thomas, Clive Owen and Michael Gambon, the two performances singled out at the Oscars were Mirren and Maggie Smith, both nominated in the same category. Mirren had a better shot at a win her second time around, given that she was nominated at the Golden Globes and won the Screen Actors Guild Award. In addition, the movie received an impressive seven Academy Award mentions, including Best Director and Best Picture, winning Best Original Screenplay for Julian Fellowes. Smith likely split some of Mirren’s votes, and this was ultimately the year of Jennifer Connelly’s substantially large supporting role in “A Beautiful Mind,” that year’s Oscar winner for Director and Picture. Connelly won lots of prizes for her acclaimed turn, including the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award, and the strong momentum for her performance swept her to a victory.

Thankfully, Mirren only had to wait a few more years to finally win her first Oscar. In 2006 she took on the role of Queen Elizabeth II, who struggles with her reaction to the death of Princess Diana in Stephen Frears’ biographical drama “The Queen.” The film was an immediate success with critics and audiences, and Mirren became the early favorite to take the Academy Award for her astonishing physical and emotional transformation in the title role. Her victory at the Oscars was certain after she swept the season, winning at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTA and SAG Awards. Despite that year’s Best Actress Oscar race being one of the best in the category’s history, all five performances total stunners, nobody gave her considerable competition, and that includes Meryl Streep for “The Devil Wears Prada” and Judi Dench for “Notes on a Scandal.” Mirren was the overdue veteran who gave one of the most celebrated performances of the year, and with “The Queen” earning six Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture, there was no doubt Mirren was taking this one. Her speech famously ended with Mirren holding her gold trophy up high and saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, the Queen!”

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Just three years later, Mirren received her fourth and to date final Oscar nomination for her performance as Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s wife Sofya in “The Last Station” (2009), directed by Michael Hoffman. This time was most definitely a just-happy-to-be-there Oscar mention, as “The Last Station” received only lukewarm reviews from critics and underperformed at the U.S. box office with six million dollars. Also, the historical drama did so-so during awards season, mostly recognized for the performances of Mirren in Best Actress and Christopher Plummer in Best Supporting Actor, and at the Academy Awards, those were the only two noms it received. This was the year of Sandra Bullock and “The Blind Side,” and Mirren had almost no chance to win a second Oscar in three years for an under-the-radar period drama few people were seeing or talking about.

Mirren came close to a fifth Academy Award nomination as Alfred Hitchcock’s wife Alma Reville in the 2012 biographical drama “Hitchcock,” which earned Mirren bids for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, BAFTA and SAG Awards. She also received double citations at SAG in 2016 in Best Actress for “Woman in Gold” and Best Supporting Actress in “Trumbo.” But another Oscar nom has eluded her for more than a decade. Will she be able to secure some Best Actress nominations in the months to come for her newest performance in “Golda,” particularly at the 2024 Oscars? Only time will tell.

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