Queen Elizabeth II fascinated Hollywood writers and actors during her seven-decade reign and was portrayed on screen in award-winning dramas, animation and even US comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live.
The monarch, who died on Thursday at age 96, was the central figure of Netflix’s Emmy-winning television series The Crown.
Claire Foy won two Emmys and a Golden Globe for playing Elizabeth as a young woman who suddenly became queen at age 25. Olivia Colman took on the role in later seasons, and Imelda Staunton will play her in the fifth installment, which is set to debut in November.
When Foy won the Golden Globe in 2017, she thanked several “extraordinary women,” including Queen Elizabeth II.
“She has been at the centre of the world for the past 63 years, and I think the world could do with a few more women at the centre of it, if you ask me,” Foy said.
Fellow British actress Helen Mirren took home an Oscar for playing Elizabeth in 2006 film The Queen, which focused on the monarch’s response to the unexpected death of Princess Diana.
Queen Elizabeth II made a compelling subject because she played a role in major world events and because her life story had a “very human element,” said People magazine editor-in-chief Wendy Naugle.
Not all of the queen’s screen time has come in serious dramas. Animated comedy The Simpsons has worked her into several episodes over its 33 seasons.
Vanessa Redgrave voiced Queen Elizabeth in one of Pixar’s Cars movies when the monarch – appearing as a luxury car with a crown – presided over a race in London.
READ: The Crown To Halt Filming As Mark Of Respect To Queen Elizabeth II
