Actress Dame Judith Olivia Dench is called a national treasure. She loathes being called that. “Makes me sound like a dusty old relic,” she observes. She’s right to dislike it but not for that reason.

To call her a national treasure is too limiting. Her extraordinary 70-year career on stage and screen has made her an international phenomenon. When it comes to acting, she can do almost anything and pull it off with aplomb.

Her new book, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?” co-written by Brendan O’Hea, gives readers a long look at Dench’s life and career. It touches on all aspects of both: her family, her likes and dislikes, the places she’s lived, the roles she’s played, and the honors she’s received.

Dench reveals the one type of acting she can’t pull off—the one-woman show. She needs the stimulus of other people. Normally, a memoir like this is a one-woman show. Instead, this book was written as a dialog; it’s a conversation between Dench and fellow actor (and occasional amanuensis) Brendan O'Hea. The result is a show with the reader as a participant. Readers can’t help feeling drawn in; they feel as much a part of the performance as the two authors.

Loving Childhood

Dench and O’Hea open the performance with a surprisingly intimate look at her childhood in York and her parents. Dench takes readers through her childhood home, reminiscing about her life there. Her father, a general practitioner, ran his medical practice from the ground floor, while the family lived above and behind his surgery. Her love for both parents is obvious throughout the book, but especially in these chapters.

This segues into a discussion about her love for animals and trees. She’s had pets all her life, many of which are described. She doesn’t trap mice, since she hates killing.

Later in the book, she reveals the time she spent as a vegetarian. It didn’t last long because her love of meat equaled her love of animals. She almost worships trees, planting memorial trees at her home for her dearly departed. At her age, she’s planted a lot of them.

There’s also a chapter on her husband, Michael Williams, a talented actor in his own right. They were married for 30 years before his death by cancer in 2001. They often performed together. Reading her account of their lives together, it’s obvious he was the love of her life, and she felt (and feels) his loss deeply.

Acting Career

The book’s heart is its description of her acting career. She reveals her attitudes toward choosing which parts to play, preparing for a role, and the differences between stage acting and film performances. She also discusses the difference between episodic television and movie performances.

There are long and amusing discussions about the directors and actors she’s worked with. She reveals what it was like in different performances, what worked, what didn’t work, and what she did and did not enjoy.

She also explains why she feels comfortable in any role, from classical tragedy to light comedy. This is a trip backstage to the inner workings of theater. There’s even a chapter devoted to dressing rooms and what occurs within them.

Dench and O’Hea discuss meeting and playing royalty and the difficulties of playing real people, especially those who are still living. They also discuss spies and whether Dench would have made a good real-life spy. (She played M, Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service for MI6, in eight “James Bond” movies.)

She also marvels at her experiences performing all over the world, either on stage or when filming movies.

At 91, Dench is at the age where she lets the chips fall where they may. This book has something to amuse or outrage everyone. She often drops in something unexpected which will leave readers laughing uncontrollably. This makes it dangerous to read while drinking any liquid.

While Dench is definitely on the political left, like many who reached adulthood in the 1950s-60s, politics isn’t a religion for her. She harkens back to a time when one could have close friendships with those of sharply differing views without politics breaking up the friendship.

In this book, she shows that politics is an ancillary part of her life. She saves her real passion and energy for her family, her friends, and the craft of acting.

Truly delightful, “Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?” wanders among the topics in what initially seems like a charming yet aimless manner. Readers will eventually recognize it as the story arc of Dench’s life.

Here is an inside look at a life in the theater and also a chronicle of a life well-lived.

‘Is It Too Late to Make a Run for It?’
By Judi Dench and Brendan O'Hea
St. Martin’s Press: Nov. 3, 2026
Hardcover, 368 pages

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