Queen Elizabeth II on Stage & Screen: All the Stars Who've Portrayed the Royal, From Helen Mirren to...Fred Armisen!

Britain's reigning monarch, celebrating her 90th birthday this week, has also been played onstage and on The Simpsons

By McKenna Aiello Apr 20, 2016 4:00 PMTags
Queen Elizabeth FOX, Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic, David M. Benett/Getty Images

With great power, comes great responsibility. And when it comes to playing Queen Elizabeth II, actors have usually gone above and beyond to ensure that their performances have done the iconic royal justice. 

Or at least really made people laugh.

Perhaps most beloved is Helen Mirren's Oscar-winning role in Peter Morgan's The Queen, about the royal family's response to the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Nearly a decade later, the accomplished actress would reprise her then signature character in the Broadway production of Morgan's The Audience, earning a Tony to prop next to her Academy Award (and Emmy for playing this queen's namesake, Elizabeth I).

The queen has seen quite a few major milestones in her life take center stage, including her ascendance to the throne at just 25 years old in Netflix's The Crown (Claire Foy) and her time as a little princess in The King's Speech (Freya Wilson). Even the world of animation has tapped Queen Elizabeth II's star power—The Simpsons and Minions have both featured a cartoon iteration of Buckingham Palace's leading lady—and a couple of other actors have turned the usually staid portrayal of the royal on its head.

In honor of the queen's 90th birthday tomorrow, check out all the stars who've channeled the monarch on stage and screen.