Dame Helen Mirren has spoken out about a disturbing encounter on a London street where a man hurled antisemitic abuse at her, calling her a 'Zionist b****'. The incident, captured on video and widely shared on social media last month, occurred as the 80-year-old actress walked with her husband, American film director Taylor Hackford, in Tower Hill.
The footage, filmed last year, shows Mirren initially smiling and greeting the man, asking if he was okay. However, the situation quickly escalated as the man began swearing at her over her alleged support for Israel.
Addressing the clip during her appearance at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy, Dame Helen said she was 'attacked by mistake by a man who was maybe a little over passionate or maybe mentally not quite stable'.
Mirren's Stance on Israel and Gaza
The Oscar-winning actress, who portrayed Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in a 2023 biopic, also clarified her position on Israel. She stated: 'Evil forces are rising everywhere, even in a country like Israel.' Referring to Israel's attack on Gaza, she added: 'How could you possibly repeat the actions of what was done to you as people to other people? Crimes against humanity, it’s called.'
Reflecting on her European upbringing post-World War II, Mirren said: 'The realisation in my parents’ generation of what had happened in the Holocaust was so profound, so important. Therefore, the creation of Israel was a very important moment, although maybe it was done in completely the wrong way, in the wrong place, I don’t know. But something had to happen after the horror.'
She also shared personal observations from a visit to Israel six months after the Six-Day War, saying she saw 'some things that disturbed me from the inside'.
Police Response and Honours
The Metropolitan Police confirmed they were aware of the video showing antisemitic verbal abuse in Tower Hill and believed the incident occurred at the end of last year. After speaking with Mirren and her husband, no further action was taken.
On Friday, it was announced that Dame Helen had been made a Companion of Honour (CH) in the King’s Birthday Honours, recognizing her contributions to drama.
Career Highlights
A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Mirren transitioned to film in the 1980s with roles in The Long Good Friday, Excalibur, and Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover. She later starred as DCI Tennison in the crime thriller Prime Suspect, earning three consecutive Baftas and an Emmy for the role, which first aired in 1991.
In 2007, she won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. Other notable roles include the 2003 US TV movie The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone and Calendar Girls alongside Julie Walters and Celia Imrie. Mirren married in 1997 and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 2003.
