British actress Judi Dench, widely recognized for her portrayal of M in the James Bond franchise, has revealed that she has lost her eyesight. In recent interviews with Variety and Deadline, Dench discussed her condition during an ITV appearance, explaining that she can no longer see well enough to appear on screen.
Speaking to her longtime friend Ian McKellen, Dench shared that while she can still make out his outline, she can no longer recognize faces, watch television, or read. Dench first disclosed her diagnosis of macular degeneration in 2012, a progressive retinal disease that causes distortion or loss of central vision.
She had hinted at retirement two years ago, and in a 2023 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, she admitted that memorizing lines had become impossible due to her vision loss. Born on December 9, 1934, the now-90-year-old Dench began her celebrated career as a Shakespearean performer before taking on the role of M from 1995 to 2012.
Her extensive filmography includes Shakespeare in Love, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, My Week with Marilyn, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Murder on the Orient Express, and Cats. She most recently appeared in a cameo in the Apple TV Plus holiday musical comedy Spirited in 2022.
