(Alistair Smith’s article ran in The Stage, 12/15,)
Judi Dench has topped The Stage’s reader poll to discover the greatest stage actor of all time.
Dench was followed by Maggie Smith in second place, and Mark Rylance, the youngest actor in the list, in third.
Earlier this year, The Stage canvassed a selection of industry experts, who were each asked to put forward their own ten greatest stage actors. The experts’ nominations could be from any country and from any period of history. These were aggregated into an overall experts’ top ten, which was then put to a reader vote over a ten-week period. During that period, The Stage ran a series of features with leading theatre figures advocating each of the top ten. West End producer Bill Kenwright served as Dench’s advocate.
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