Want to know the best Helen Mirren movies? How about the worst Helen Mirren movies? Curious about Helen Mirren box office grosses or which Helen Mirren movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Helen Mirren movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which ones got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place…. because we have all of that information and much more.
Helen Mirren (1945-) is an Oscar® winning British actress. She has been appearing in movies for the last 50 years….but we first noticed her in 1981’s Excalibur. Her IMDb page shows over 135 acting credits…with her first credit being in 1967. This page ranks Helen Mirren movies from Best to Worst in seven different sortable columns of information. Uncredited roles, bit parts, television roles and movies not released in North American theaters were not included in the rankings. This page comes from a request from WoC (Wife of Cogerson)
Helen Mirren Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews, and awards.
Helen Mirren Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Helen Mirren movies by co-stars of her movies
- Sort Helen Mirren movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Helen Mirren movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Helen Mirren movies by how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and Oscar® wins each Helen Mirren movie received.
- Sort Helen Mirren movies by Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Helen Mirren
1. Helen Lydia Mirren was born in Hammersmith, west London in 1945.
2. Helen Mirren’s path to movie stardom: Starred in plays at St. Bernard’s High School, Westcliff-on-Sea, joined National Youth Theatre and eventually the Royal Shakespeare Company.
3. Helen Mirren is the only actress to play both Queen Elizabeth I (in Elizabeth I (2005)) and Queen Elizabeth II. She won a Oscar® for playing Queen Elizabeth II in 2006′s The Queen.
4. Helen Mirren’s autobiography is called “In The Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures”. She wrote about her life in a series of chapters based on pictures from her extensive personal collection of photography and memorabilia.
5. Helen Mirren was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for Services to the Performing Arts.
6. Helen Mirren has been married one time. She has been married to her White Nights director Taylor Hackford since 1997. She does not have any children and has said that she has “no maternal instinct whatsoever.”
7. Helen Mirren lived with Liam Neeson in the early 1980s. The two met during the filming of 1981’s Excalibur. Mirren helped Neeson secure his first agent.
8. Speaking of 1981’s Excalibur, John Boorman (the director) said he cast her opposite Nicol Williamson in Excalibur, against both of their protests, because he felt their dislike of each other made them perfect as rivals Morgana and Merlin.
9. Helen Mirren has a tattoo that is an American Indian symbol meaning “equal but opposite”.
10. Check out Helen Mirren’s movie career compared to current and classic stars on our Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time page.
Steve’s Helen Mirren You Tube Video
Awesome page, Cogerson. The updates with movie trailers are incredible. Please add more.
Hey “Me”…..glad you like the Helen Mirren page. Even gladder you like the inclusion of the movie trailers…..adding more every day….now up to almost 300…..a long ways to go…..but each day it grows. Thanks for the visit and the comment.
Finally!!!!
Well…..better late than never….glad you found your requested page.
I have liked Helen Mirren for such a long time that I really was shocked to see that I’ve only seen 16 movies from the chart above. But, as Bob already pointed out, she had a very active TV career going, and I have followed her series Prime Suspect through all those years, ending up buying the DVD Box and rewatching it all again. My favorite movie performance must be her AA winning The Queen, but I also love Woman in Gold, The Hundred-Foot Journey, Hitchcock, RED, Gosford Park and Calendar Girls. Not surprised to read that she’s not harbouring any maternal feelings- that statement somehow fits into the way I imagine Miss Mirren to be. Good addition to the site 😉
Hey Lupino….wow…it is not too many times I top you in a tally contest….my total is 33….with Steve being at 19 to your 16. I will take this victory….lol. I have heard of Prime Suspect…but have not seen a single one of those movies/episodes. I have seen all of your favorites except for Calendar Girls. That movie is at my local library….I will have to check that one out in the near future. Thanks for the visit, the comment and the kind words.
Helen was # 145 on the 2016 Oracle of Bacon top 1000 Center of the Hollywood Universe list and she’s now up to 102. There are only a couple of women in the top 100, amazing. She was not on the list in 2000. These are the people on the 2016 list she has appeared with;
5 HARVEY KEITEL National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
7 WILLEM DAFOE The Clearing (2004)
8 MALCOLM MCDOWELL Caligola (1979)
8 MALCOLM MCDOWELL O Lucky Man! (1973)
9 DONALD SUTHERLAND Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1992)
10 MICHAEL CAINE Last Orders (2001)
12 MORGAN FREEMAN Red (2010)
16 LIAM NEESON Excalibur (1981)
18 BRUCE WILLIS Red (2010)
22 JOHN MALKOVICH Red (2010)
22 JOHN MALKOVICH The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
26 CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER The Last Station (2009)
28 CHRISTOPHER WALKEN The Comfort of Strangers (1990)
30 BEN KINGSLEY Pascali’s Island (1988)
32 ANTHONY HOPKINS HITCHCOCK (2012)
34 ALFRED MOLINA The Tempest (2010)
36 JOHN GOODMAN Happy Birthday (2001/I)
36 JOHN GOODMAN Monsters University (2013)
39 DANNY GLOVER The Prince of Egypt (1998)
40 HARRY DEAN STANTON The Pledge (2001)
48 NICOLAS CAGE National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
53 PAUL GIAMATTI The Last Station (2009)
54 HARRISON FORD The Mosquito Coast (1986)
56 BRIAN COX Red (2010)
56 BRIAN COX Royal Deceit (1994)
63 ED HARRIS National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
64 JEFF GOLDBLUM The Prince of Egypt (1998)
67 JAMES HONG Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1992)
77 KAREN BLACK Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal’s Caligula (2005)
87 MICKEY ROURKE The Pledge (2001)
88 JON VOIGHT National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
104 CHRISTIAN BALE Royal Deceit (1994)
110 TOM WILKINSON ROYAL DECEIT (1994)
110 TOM WILKINSON THE DEBT (2010/I)
118 GABRIEL BYRNE Excalibur (1981)
118 GABRIEL BYRNE Royal Deceit (1994)
121 BOB HOSKINS Last Orders (2001)
121 BOB HOSKINS The Long Good Friday (1980)
125 VANESSA REDGRAVE The Pledge (2001)
128 TIM ROTH The Cook the Thief His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
143 VAL KILMER The Prince of Egypt (1998)
151 GARY SIEVERS Hitchcock (2012)
151 GARY SIEVERS National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
152 JAMES REMAR Red (2010)
154 ELTON LEBLANC TRUMBO (2015)
163 JAMES CROMWELL The Queen (2006)
165 JONATHAN PRYCE WOMAN IN GOLD (2015)
196 RICHARD PORTNOW TRUMBO (2015)
205 BOB BALABAN 2010 (1984)
205 BOB BALABAN Gosford Park (2001)
216 BRUCE GREENWOOD National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
219 DAVID STRAITHAIRN The Tempest (2010)
221 CYNTHIA LEBLANC TRUMBO (2015)
226 PIERCE BROSNAN The Long Good Friday (1980)
230 DANNY HUSTON Hitchcock (2012)
233 JIM BROADBENT Inkheart (2008)
235 BENICIO DEL TORO The Pledge (2001)
235 BENICIO DEL TORO Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal’s Caligula (2005)
237 STEPHEN DORFF Shadowboxer (2005)
238 JOEL THINGVALL HITCHCOCK (2012)
242 JOE CHREST Red (2010)
246 BAI LING Love Ranch (2010)
249 STEPHEN ROOT TRUMBO (2015)
267 CIARAN HINDS Calendar Girls (2003)
267 CIARAN HINDS Excalibur (1981)
267 CIARAN HINDS Some Mother’s Son (1996)
267 CIARAN HINDS The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
267 CIARAN HINDS The Debt (2010/I)
272 BEN AFFLECK State of Play (2009)
275 VERNON DOBTCHEFF Pascali’s Island (1988)
282 CHRISTOPHER LLOYD Happy Birthday (2001/I)
288 DON ABERNATHY National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
288 DON ABERNATHY State of Play (2009)
290 BRYAN CRANSTON LOVE RANCH (2010)
290 BRYAN CRANSTON TRUMBO (2015)
292 SPENCER GARRETT (I ) HITCHCOCK (2012)
293 SCARLETT JOHANSSON Hitchcock (2012)
309 DAVID WARNER A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)
310 EDWARD HERRMANN Critical Care (1997)
327 HELENE CARDONA THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (2014)
332 ELYA BASKIN 2010 (1984)
333 JOHN ROTHMAN Hitchcock (2012)
337 DIANE LANE TRUMBO (2015)
339 WALLACE SHAWN Critical Care (1997)
342 BEVERLY D’ANGELO Happy Birthday (2001/I)
344 RUSSELL CROWE State of Play (2009)
349 ISABELLA ROSSELLINI White Nights (1985)
352 GINA GERSHON Love Ranch (2010)
357 KURT RUSSELL THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)
360 ROBERT HARVEY Love Ranch (2010)
365 JEFFREY TAMBOR Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)
369 MICHELLE PFEIFFER The Prince of Egypt (1998)
372 RALPH FIENNES The Prince of Egypt (1998)
378 CUBA GOODING JR. Shadowboxer (2005)
379 MICHAEL PENA COLLATERAL BEAUTY (2016)
388 MICHAEL GAMBON Gosford Park (2001)
388 MICHAEL GAMBON The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
394 JOHN LITHGOW 2010 (1984)
398 PATRICK STEWART Excalibur (1981)
398 PATRICK STEWART The Prince of Egypt (1998)
401 JEFF DANIELS State of Play (2009)
403 ROBERT REDFORD The Clearing (2004)
406 RITCHIE MONTGOMERY RED (2010)
412 JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT Shadowboxer (2005)
414 LARRY MILLER Raising Helen (2004)
418 CHRIS COOPER The Tempest (2010)
426 CHARLES DANCE GOSFORD PARK (2001)
426 CHARLES DANCE PASCALI’S ISLAND (1988)
433 MARGO MARTINDALE Critical Care (1997)
436 IAN HOLM A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)
436 IAN HOLM The Madness of King George (1994)
444 RANA MORRISON National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
450 JASON STATHAM THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)
451 CHARLIZE THERON THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)
459 BRENT BRISCOE NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007)
475 COLM FEORE CRITICAL CARE (1997)
481 THOMAS LENNON THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (2005)
491 JACK NICHOLSON The Pledge (2001)
494 BILL NIGHY The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
496 JUDI DENCH A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)
498 SAM ROCKWELL The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
503 PETER O’TOOLE Caligola (1979)
511 JOAN CUSACK RAISING HELEN (2004)
514 ALAN CUMMING The Tempest (2010)
516 JEFFREY WRIGHT CRITICAL CARE (1997)
523 HARRY FIELDER Savage Messiah (1972)
523 HARRY FIELDER The Long Good Friday (1980)
525 ROBERT JOHN BURKE NO SUCH THING (2001)
541 HECTOR ELIZONDO Raising Helen (2004)
542 MICHAEL MCKEAN Teaching Mrs. Tingle (1999)
545 ROBIN WRIGHT State of Play (2009)
545 ROBIN WRIGHT The Pledge (2001)
558 SAM SHEPARD The Pledge (2001)
567 SHANE RIMMER White Nights (1985)
573 KATE WINSLET COLLATERAL BEAUTY (2016)
584 M.C. GAINEY LOVE RANCH (2010)
591 RAY WINSTONE LAST ORDERS (2001)
592 JOHN GIELGUD Caligola (1979)
594 STEVE MARTIN The Prince of Egypt (1998)
603 JAY LENO Calendar Girls (2003)
606 PAUL BETTANY INKHEART (2008)
608 FRANCES FISHER WOMAN IN GOLD (2015)
617 TONI COLLETTE HITCHCOCK (2012)
619 VIVICA A. FOX TEACHING MRS. TINGLE (1999)
625 JOHN W. IWANONKIW THE CLEARING (2004)
636 DAVID HILL HITCHCOCK (2012)
636 DAVID HILL NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007)
637 DJIMON HOUNSOU The Tempest (2010)
643 WILL SMITH COLLATERAL BEAUTY (2016)
651 ROY SCHEIDER 2010 (1984)
661 MATT MALLOY CALENDAR GIRLS (2003)
662 DEREK JACOBI Gosford Park (2001)
664 ALAN RICKMAN EYE IN THE SKY (2016)
664 ALAN RICKMAN THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (2005)
668 GERARD BUTLER Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal’s Caligula (2005)
670 SANDRA BULLOCK The Prince of Egypt (1998)
672 COSTAS MANDYLOR THE PLEDGE (2001)
687 KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS Gosford Park (2001)
693 RICHARD E. GRANT Gosford Park (2001)
699 HARRY LENNIX STATE OF PLAY (2009)
707 HELENA BONHAM CARTER Where Angels Fear to Tread (1991)
713 ROBERT BIZIK STATE OF PLAY (2009)
724 MARTON CSOKAS THE DEBT (2010/I)
730 BRENDAN FRASER Inkheart (2008)
732 HRVOJE KLECZ HITCHCOCK (2012)
737 EDWARD NORTON COLLATERAL BEAUTY (2016)
749 SEAN O’BRYAN RAISING HELEN (2004)
756 MILLA JOVOVICH TRAILER FOR A REMAKE OF GORE VIDAL’S CALIGULA (2005)
760 JENNIFER CONNELLY Inkheart (2008)
768 PATRICIA CLARKSON THE PLEDGE (2001)
769 LARRY PINE THE CLEARING (2004)
778 LARRY CEDAR NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007)
789 WENDELL PIERCE LOVE RANCH (2010)
821 AARON ECKHART The Pledge (2001)
825 JOHNNY OTTO RED (2010)
827 VIOLA DAVIS STATE OF PLAY (2009)
840 LOIS SMITH The Pledge (2001)
845 CLIVE OWEN Gosford Park (2001)
845 CLIVE OWEN Greenfingers (2000)
852 DWAYNE JOHNSON THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)
860 RICK KAIN SHADOWBOXER (2005)
871 HELEN KELLY(I) WHITE NIGHTS (1985)
872 JOE PESCI Love Ranch (2010)
889 MATT CRAVEN THE CLEARING (2004)
890 JASON SCHWARTZMAN The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
893 RYAN REYNOLDS WOMAN IN GOLD (2015)
902 PATRICK KEARNS TRUMBO (2015)
909 JULIE CHRISTIE No Such Thing (2001)
913 FRANK COLLISON HITCHCOCK (2012)
943 PHILIP TAN THE FIENDISH PLOT OF DR. FU MANCHU (1980)
954 LANCE E. NICHOLS RED (2011/II)
969 FREDERICK KEEVE STATE OF PLAY (2009)
972 PAMELA FISCHER NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (2007)
982 RUPERT EVERETT THE COMFORT OF STRANGERS (1990)
982 RUPERT EVERETT THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (1994)
996 PHIL NARDOZZI THE CLEARING (2004)
Actors on the 2000 list who have fallen off who appeared in a movie with Helen. Rank is for 2000.
52 JAMES MASON Age of Consent (1969)
141 ANNE BANCROFT Critical Care (1997)
171 JOHN WOOD The Madness of King George (1994)
419 ANOUK AIMEE Bethune: The Making of a Hero (1992)
449 BURT KWOUK The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)
474 WILLIAM HOOTKINS Hussy (1980)
474 WILLIAM HOOTKINS White Nights (1985)
484 LEOPOLDO TRIESTE Caligula (1979)
486 JOHN GLOVER White Nights (1985)
535 FRANK CAMPANELLA Raising Helen (2004)
540 FREDDIE JONES Royal Deceit (1994)
581 PETER VAUGHAN Savage Messiah (1972)
597 CANDICE BERGEN 2010 (1984)
602 MAGGIE SMITH Gosford Park (2001)
613 JOHN LE MESURIER The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)
627 JAN TRISKA 2010 (1984)
671 EDUARDO CIANELLI Red Hot Shot (1970)
673 PETER SELLERS The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980)
684 ALAN BATES Gosford Park (2001)
728 JOSH MOSTEL State of Play (2009)
819 RALPH RICHARDSON O Lucky Man! (1973)
841 NIGEL HAWTHORNE The Madness of King George (1994)
854 MICHAEL MEDWIN O Lucky Man! (1973)
887 DAVID HEMMINGS Last Orders (2001)
916 RICHARD GRIFFITHS The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
927 PHILIP BOSCO Critical Care (1997)
947 CHRISTOPHER MALCOLM A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)
957 BILLY CRYSTAL Monsters University (2013)
By a quick count I find 28 Oscar winners she has worked with.
ANNE BANCROFT Critical Care (1997)
ANTHONY HOPKINS Hitchcock (2012)
BEN KINGSLEY Pascali’s Island (1988)
BENICIO DEL TORO The Pledge (2001)
BENICIO DEL TORO Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal’s Caligula (2005)
CATHERINE ZETA-JONES Red 2 (2013)
CHARLIZE THERON THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)
CHRIS COOPER The Tempest (2010)
CHRISTIAN BALE Royal Deceit (1994)
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER The Last Station (2009)
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN The Comfort of Strangers (1990)
CUBA GOODING JR. Shadowboxer (2005)
GERALDINE PAGE White Nights (1985)
JACK NICHOLSON The Pledge (2001)
JIM BROADBENT Inkheart (2008)
JOHN GIELGUD Caligola (1979)
JON VOIGHT National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
JUDI DENCH A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1968)
JULIE CHRISTIE No Such Thing (2001)
KATE WINSLET COLLATERAL BEAUTY (2016)
MAGGIE SMITH Gosford Park (2001)
MICHAEL CAINE Last Orders (2001)
MORGAN FREEMAN Red (2010)
NICOLAS CAGE National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
PAUL SCOFIELD When the Whales Came (1989)
RUSSELL CROWE State of Play (2009)
SANDRA BULLOCK The Prince of Egypt (1998)
VANESSA REDGRAVE The Pledge (2001)
VIOLA DAVIS STATE OF PLAY (2009)
Hey Dan
1. Thanks for the lists. They are always appreciated.
2. Helen has been very very busy with lots of co-stars….but her career is 50 years old now.
3. Wow….her Bacon ranking is pretty impressive….from 145 to 102…..I would assume she will be cracking the Top 100 very soon.
4. 5 of the Top 10….including my favorite Sir Caine.
5. I think the most impressive thing on the first list is the that it is so long….and with so many different stars….with 2 and 3 movies being the most…..tells me she has successfully been jumping from genres for years.
6. Sorry to see no Kathleen Freeman….I recently saw Freeman in a movie…and when I saw her name in the credits I thought of you and your Bacon lists.
7. 28 Oscar winners is actually a little on the low side…..but still pretty impressive. Though I think her total is little higher…as I do not see her Red co-stars Richard Dreyfuss and Ernest Borgnine on the list.
Good stuff as always.
You got me on Red, had to add those 2 credits. You could probably find a few more, there are some screw-ups in the 2010 to 2014 era.
Hey Dan…..no problem…..Dreyfuss and Borgnine are the only two Best Actor Oscar winners that I have actually met….so I of course saw that they were not included…usually when I check to see if you left somebody off….you have done an awesome job of including all the winners.
Helen Mirren… she was a naughty actress back in the day… and she still is naughty decades later! Hilarious as Jason Statham’s mum in Fast and the Furious 8.
I’ve seen 19 of the 31 films listed here. Favorites include the two Reds, Excalibur, Caligula (I watch it for the acting talent….), National Treasure 2, Furious 8, Prince of Egypt and 2010 aka ’10 past 8′ (as me and my mates used to call it).
The Queen and Trumbo are worth a looksy. I’m looking forward to ‘Trumpo’ in a few years time (if WWIII doesn’t break out) might be more entertaining than Trumbo. Hitchcock was a TV movie that somehow ended up on the big screen.
Monsters University – Mirren’s no.1 film on the UMR – oh the humanity! 😉
Good work Bruce and WoC. Vote Up!
Hey Steve
1. Thanks for the Mirren feedback.
2. I have seen 33 Mirren movies….which (a) tops your 19 and (b) shocks me….did not know I was a Helen fan boy.
3. I am right there with you….it is disturbing that two voice roles and an extended cameo make up the Top 3 UMR movies….but I have never claimed our ranking system was perfect….lol.
4. I like most of your favorites….with Excalibur, Red, Eye in the Sky and the Madness of King George being my favorites.
5. Have not seen 2010 in years….maybe it is time to re-visit that one.
Thanks for being the first to comment.. I forgot to activate the comment box yesterday.
BRUCE 1 I’ve just seen Steve’s response to your new Dame Helen Mirren page [there go those Brits again giving themselves fancy titles!] but looking down Steve’s own catalogue I couldn’t spot a Mirren video so that if indeed he has not done one you have for once stolen a march on him in profiling an important Brit thespian.
2 Among Helen’s earlier work my favourite is the 1979 Caligula with Malcolm McDowell in the title role and in which the “naughty” young Mirren [to use a Lensman expression] showed us all how physically appealing she was. She had an excellent stage career on top of her success in movies and TV and in the National Theatre’s 1998 stage production of Antony and Cleopatra when she was in her early 50s reviewers were still describing her as “sensual” when she took centre stage as Cleo. Your own montage of miniature stills illustrate the accuracy of such observations certainly in relation to the young Helen.
3 Helen’s co-star in the Antony & Cleopatra stage play of 1998 was Alan Rickman whom you have correctly listed as her co-star in the movie Eye in the Sky. One reviewer described the 1998 Mirren/Rickman stage teaming as that of “The two sexiest 50-pluses in the country.” Eye in the Sky along with The Queen, The Madness of King George and Trumbo in which she was great as battle-axe Hedda Hopper are the Mirren flicks that have most impressed me in recent years. I couldn’t help chortling at Steve’s “Trumpo” joke and at the same time it struck me that just as there is little doubt about where Hopper stood on the subject of Trumbo there would be no prizes given for guessing where she probably would have positioned herself in the great “Trumpo” For and Against divide today.
4 Helen’s TV detective multi series Prime Suspect spanned an astonishing 15 year period from 1991-2006 and as I very much admire her multi medium success and versatility it goes without saying I very much welcome this new page. Liked the new-to-me trivia about Helen and Neeson whom I also admire