Judi Dench wins record 8th Olivier award

London

JUDI Dench on Sunday became the most successful actor in the history of Britain's top theatre awards, the Oliviers, when she picked up a record eighth gong.

Dench won best supporting actress for her role as Paulina in Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, opposite Kenneth Branagh as Leontes. Accepting the award, the 81-year-old star, who won her first Olivier in 1977 and is best known for her role as M in the James Bond films, joked that she had not expected to win. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm absolutely livid as I had a bet with my grandson . . . and I'm never going to be able to forget it," she told the audience at London's Royal Opera House. The production ended its run in London's West End in January.