She made her stage debut at the age of nine and began training as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) at the age of 16.
She was signed to the Rank Organisation, a British film studio, at the age of 17.
In 1997, she was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) and in 2015, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to drama and charity.