Queen Elizabeth I is one of those complex and larger-than-life historical figures that actors just love to sink their teeth into. Among others, such grand dames as Bette Davis, Judith Anderson, Glenda Jackson and Flora Robson have offered their takes on the "Virgin Queen," who ruled England for 45 turbulent years starting in the mid-16th century. 

And here comes the newest Elizabeth: Helen Mirren, who in such films and TV series as Gosford Park, The Madness of King George and Prime Suspect has proven one of the finest actresses of her generation. With all due respect to those who have inhabited the role before her, Mirren has created the defining portrait of the capricious but formidable monarch.