Bio's:

Iris Murdoch - played by Dame Judi Dench:

Judi Dench is one of England's most renowned stage and screen actresses. A long time member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Dench has been a major star of the British stage since the late 1950's, appearing in literally dozens of Shakespearean and contemporary productions. She made history in 1996 for being the only person to win two Olivier awards in one year for different roles.
She has starred in numerous television productions and won a BAFTA Award for Best Television Actress for her role in the comedy series "A Fine Romance" and a Cable ACE Award for her performance in the A&E production of "Mr and Mrs Edgehill". She also received recognition recently for her work in "The Last of the Blonde Bombshells".

Her awards for film performances include an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Shakespeare in Love" and, most recently, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress for "Chocolat". She has also won the BAFTA for "Shakespeare in Love", "Mrs. Brown" and "A Room With A View".
Judi was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1988 and has received Honorary Doctorates from the Universities of Warwick, Birmingham, York, Loughborough and the Open University. She is a founder member of the Theatre Of Comedy.

'Young' Iris - played by Kate Winslet:

Born into a family of actors, Kate Winslet began her career on the stage while a teen. Her first film role as Juliet in "Heavenly Creatures" came at the age of 17. Critical acclaim for this performance led to prominent roles in the films "Sense and Sensibility", "Jude", "Hamlet" with Kenneth Branagh, "Titanic", "Hideous Kinky", "Holy Smoke", "Quills" and "Enigma".

Kate received a BAFTA (British Academy Award) and Screen Actors Guild award for her performance in "Sense and Sensibility". She is the youngest actor (male or female) to have been nominated for two Academy Awards ("Sense and Sensibility" and "Titanic"). Most recently, she received her fifth Screen Actors Guild nomination for her performance in "Quills".

Kate has been called "the most gifted actress of her generation" by several film critics. She has said she would like to have a career like that of Dame Judi.

John Bayley - played by Jim Broadbent:

Jim Broadbent is an actor whose bumbling comic skills, laid over an essentially decent character, have proved useful in Hollywood. Broadbent has starred in "The Avengers", "Little Voice"; "The Borrowers", and "Smilla's Sense of Snow". He recently won a Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival for his performance as the librettist WS Gilbert in Mike Leigh's film, "Topsy Turvy" and took a supporting role in "Bridget Jones' Diary".

'Young' John Bayley - played by Hugh Bonneville:

Hugh Bonneville made his feature film debut as Schiller in Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein", directed by Kenneth Branagh. Other films include "Tomorrow Never Dies", "Mansfield Park", "Notting Hill" and "Blow". On television, Bonneville’s many credits include roles in the ITV series "Holding The Baby", the Channel 4 drama "Mosley", "The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous", "Bugs", "The Vet", "Between The Lines", "Peak Practice" and "Cadfael".

In addition to roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Bonneville’s theatre work includes the title role in the Royal National Theatre production of "The Devil’s Disciple", "My Night With Reg", and Sam Mendes’ production of "Habeas Corpus" at the Donmar Warehouse.

Mr. Bonneville's credits also include "The Scold's Bridle", a TV movie that costarred Kate's younger sister, Beth Winslet.

Director - Sir Richard Eyre:

Director with the National Theatre from 1981, Artistic Director 1988-97. Shakespeare productions include "Hamlet" (1979) with Jonathan Pryce as the ghost, "Richard III" (1990), "Macbeth" (1993), "King Lear" (1997), all Royal National Theatre. As an administrator at the RNT he encouraged young and international directors to experiment with Shakespeare. [From A Dictionary of Shakespeare, 1998]

Sir Richard recently directed Dame Judi in David Hare's "Amy's View" on Broadway, which earned the actress a coveted Tony award.

"Iris" is the director's first film project for an American studio.

Screenplay - Charles Wood:

Charles Wood's credits as a writer include: "Sharpe's Waterloo" (1997-TV), "Sharpe's Siege" (1996-TV), "Sharpe's Regiment" (1996-TV), "England, My England" (1995), "An Awfully Big Adventure" (1995), "Inspector Morse" TV series (1987).

Production Design - Gemma Jackson:

Gemma Jackson's credits as a Production Designer / Art Director include: "Killing Me Softly" (2001), "Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001), "State and Main" (2000), "The Winslow Boy" (1999).

Art Direction - David Warren:

Credits as an Art Director include: "Bridget Jones's Diary" (2001), "Whatever Happened To Harold Smith?" (1999).

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