7 Best Movies About Queen Elizabeth I (& 6 Great Shows)

England’s Queen Elizabeth I is a renowned and complicated historical figure who made unique contributions to Western civilization. As a result, it’s not surprising that there are plenty of movies about Elizabeth I to choose from. While the English royal family has always been a source of interest for viewers across the globe, TV shows and movies keep that spark of intrigue alive. The line of succession in British history is a bloody one, full of political intrigue, scandal, and reform that makes for great television and movies.

Few royals are remembered as Elizabeth I was, and she has quite a unique place in history. One of England’s most esteemed monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I is known as the “Virgin Queen,” as she famously never married. She brought her domain into the Golden Age after the oppressive rule of her sisters and King Henry VIII before her. There are many accomplishments to her estimable name, making the sheer amount of TV shows and movies about Elizabeth I quite understandable.

Elizabeth (1998)

Played By Cate Blanchett

In one of Cate Blanchett’s best roles, she stars as Elizabeth Tudor in the 1998 historical drama film Elizabeth, arguably one of the best Queen Elizabeth movies about Elizabeth I. This film centers on the female monarch’s ascension to the throne after her sister Mary I’s (more commonly referred to as “Bloody Mary”) death and Elizabeth’s early years as Queen.

The role earned Blanchett her first Oscar nomination

There is also a plotline focusing on the ill-fated secret romance of Elizabeth Tudor and Sir Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) as she remains married to her country, unwilling to give up her power in a political alliance with other suitors. The film is an intriguing character study, artfully played out by Blanchett. The role earned Blanchett her first Oscar nomination while the movie itself earned a Best Picture nomination. It also features performances from Emily Mortimer and Geoffrey Rush as well as early roles from Alfie Allen and Daniel Craig.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Played By Cate Blanchett

Nearly a decade after the first movie, Elizabeth: The Golden Age is the sequel with Blanchett back as Queen Elizabeth I. This movie picks up later in her reign, and Blanchett continues to bring unwavering confidence yet stark empathy to the role, acting as Elizabeth Tudor who leads England into a golden era, despite dealing with the strained relationship with Spain. The movie explores assassination plots against the queen, the growing aggression of her enemies, and some romantic pursuits.

This sequel also serves as a standalone film despite Blanchett reprising her role and Geoffrey Rush returning as her advisor Sir Francis Walsingham. They are also joined by some exciting new cast members, including Clive Owen, Rhys Ifans, and Samantha Morton. The movie fell far short of its predecessor in terms of critical reception, however, Blanchett still managed to secure an Oscar nomination for her role.

Fire Over England (1937)

Played By Flora Robson

Fire Over England is a black-and-white production from 1937, and one of the earliest Queen Elizabeth I movies. The narrative follows a naval officer who discovers Spain’s plan to fight against England, leading to the naval battle that ended with England being victorious. This narrow plot leads the young man to win the heart of one of Queen Elizabeth’s ladies in waiting.

Fire Over England is still one of the most important Queen Elizabeth movies, because the actress who plays her, Flora Robson, adds an essence of elegance to the character, and her unnamed lady-in-waiting, played by Vivien Leigh, is a gem who beguiles the audience. In fact, it was Leigh’s performance in this movie that helped her to earn the role of Scarlet O’Hara in Gone With the Wind which would make her an icon.

Shakespeare In Love (1998)

Played By Judi Dench

Best Picture Oscar winner Shakespeare In Love is a must-watch film and definitively one of the best movies about Elizabeth I. This is a movie that will appeal to the heart of a hopeless romantic. While it focuses mostly on the relationship between the famous playwright Shakespeare (Joseph Finnies) and his lover Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow), Queen Elizabeth (Judi Dench) also makes an appearance.

“Dench puts on a stunning performance as she carefully pulls the strings of the narrative.”

Elizabeth is the person who judges whether Shakespeare’s play can truly capture the nature of love in its authenticity. As usual, Dench puts on a stunning performance as she carefully pulls the strings of the narrative, and thus is a particular highlight of the critically beloved film. She plays the queen as a blunt yet comedic presence in the movie, commanding the screen whenever she appears. Dench earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Oscars for her performance which remains one of the shortest Oscar-nominated performances of all time at just over five minutes of screen time.

The Private Lives Of Elizabeth And Essex (1939)

Played By Bette Davis

Based on a Broadway play of the same name, this fictionalized romance about Queen Elizabeth united a number of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time. The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex was originally released in black and white but has since been remastered into a color production. This film covers the tumultuous relationship between Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex, as their relationship stays hidden because the Queen refuses to give up her power by marriage.

This is a great film for cinephiles and history buffs alike, despite the fact that it is a largely fictionalized take on the relationship. With Bette Davis and Errol Flynn starring in this film as Queen Elizabeth and Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex, this was the pair’s second movie together and their chemistry is electric.

The Virgin Queen (1955)

Played By Bette Davis

Like Cate Blanchett, Bette Davis is a legendary actor who has taken on the role of Queen Elizabeth I more than once. Davis reclaims the role in the 1955 film, The Virgin Queen. The plot in this film is relatively simple. With the discovery of the New World, explorer Sir Walter Raleigh seeks the Queen’s consent to travel to America. When Queen Elizabeth I is hesitant, he works to seduce her in hopes her newfound fondness will allow him to set sail.

Davis plays Elizabeth I with a quiet austerity, but beneath this public veneer is a fair and gracious monarch. It may not be Bette Davis’ most iconic role, but it’s one of her best. The movie comes from director Henry Koster who was behind such other classics as Harvey and The Bishop’s Wife.

Orlando (1992)

Played By Quentin Crisp

Based on Virginia Woolf’s novel, Orlando: A Biography, Orlando is a brilliant adaptation of classic literature that holds incredible relevance today for its examination of gender identity and discrimination. Tilda Swinton stars in a breakout role as a poet who is magically transformed from a man to a woman, and who is ordered by Queen Elizabeth not to age. As a result, Orlando goes through many years of English history, meeting different figures from different eras, similar to the history element of Forrest Gump.

Queen Elizabeth I plays an important role in the movie, being responsible for Orlando’s own journey in many ways. The movie also plays on the story’s ideas of gender by casting a male actor in the role of Queen Elizabeth. It’s worth the watch as both Swinton and Crisp provide powerhouse performances through the lens of Woolf’s masterful storytelling.

Elizabeth I (2005)

Played By Helen Mirren

One of the best movie actresses of all time, Helen Mirren portrays the iconic monarch in the 2005 two-part miniseries Elizabeth I. Alongside Mirren as the Queen, Jeremy Irons plays the Duke of Essex, and Hugh Dancy is the Earl of Leicester. While not one of the many movies about Elizabeth I, instead telling a fuller tale with a TV format, the show’s creators took a different spin on this narrative.

Elizabeth I tells the story of Queen Elizabeth’s final days as reigning monarch, rather than her ascension to the throne, the rivalry with Mary, Queen of Scots, or a chronological plotline following events during her nearly fifty-year reign. It is a lot of fun seeing Mirren in this role as she won an Oscar in 2007 for playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen.

Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen (2006)

Played By Anne-Marie Duff

Movies about Elizabeth I don’t have the runtime to explore her entire influential reign. Therefore, the miniseries format is ideal for a full exploration of Queen Elizabeth’s impact on England, and the show Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen delves into her life with surprising depth. Starring Anne-Marie Duff (during her run on the UK Shameless series) as the titular monarch.

This 2006 miniseries attempts to cover the entirety of Queen Elizabeth Tudor’s life, from infancy to death. In the matter of four episodes, the show details the tyrannical rule of her sister, Queen Mary I (Joanne Whalley), her love affair with Robert Dudley (Tom Hardy), and her last years of life. Duff gives an engrossing performance in the lead role which earned her a nomination for a BAFTA TV award, while Hardy continued to cement himself as a rising star before his Hollywood breakout.

The Tudors (2007-2010)

Played By Kate Duggan, Claire MacCauley, And Laoise Murray

The Tudors is not about the reign of Elizabeth I, but instead, about her turbulent family, the House of Tudor. The series chronicles her father’s time on the throne and his quest to produce legitimate male heirs. It runs through a couple of his marriages each season and the children produced by the unions are introduced. As time passes, new actors take over the roles of the children, which is why three different young performers play Elizabeth during the run of the show.

Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) gets the bulk of the spotlight, but the show did provide a great showcase for talent from actors like Natalie Dormer, who played Anne Boleyn, and Sarah Bolger, who played the Princess Mary.

While the series doesn’t last beyond the final days of Henry VIII, it does give an interesting look at the foundation for Elizabeth’s Protestant beliefs that come into conflict with her cousin (Mary Stuart of Scotland) and her Catholicism. The conflicts between the two religious groups start long before the two young women rise to power.

Reign (2013-2017)

Played By Rachel Skarsten

While CW’s Reign starts out as following Mary Stuart’s (Adelaide Kane) attempt to regain her throne, halfway through the series, Reign is written to include Queen Elizabeth’s (Rachel Skarsten) efforts to maintain her power. It is written as a rivalry between the two monarchs, with both fearing of usurped crowns and recognizing that they were both female pawns on the political chessboard of monarchies, hierarchies, and birthright.

The TV show Reign is also known for the show’s costuming. Even though it is based in the 1500s, the costume designer pulls modern fashion in order to create a young adult show that is both historical and intriguing to its demographics. It also embraces soap opera elements in its storytelling to deliver a period piece with stunning looks and a lot of drama that allow it to stand out in the genre in a fun way.

Becoming Elizabeth (2022)

Played By Alicia Von Rittberg

Becoming Elizabeth takes on an era of the Queen’s life that isn’t often explored on screen – her teen years. While much of what happens in the eight episodes of the series is speculative fiction, it’s combined with actual historical moments to give the historical series a distinctly soapy feel.

Much of the focus on the show isn’t exactly on Elizabeth’s path to rule, but rather on the time that her brother Edward was King and the machinations of the members of the court around him. When she’s 14, Elizabeth doesn’t even spend that much time in court, and the series speculates about her infatuation with a much older man and just how far their relationship went. It also makes it clear just how many of the people around Elizabeth are simply interested in gaining power by being adjacent to the throne instead of having her best interests at heart.

Alicia Von Rittberg plays the young Elizabeth to perfection. While she’s mostly been known for her work in German cinema, here, she proves she’s a talent on the international rise.

My Lady Jane (2024)

Abbie Hern As Princess Bess

Unlike most of the other movies and TV shows to feature Elizabeth I in a major role, My Lady Jane is firmly not historically accurate. It’s a fantasy series adapted from a novel that provides an alternate history of England, Lady Jane Grey, and those surrounding her, including a young Elizabeth.

My Lady Jane sees the titular character at the center of an arranged marriage drama. She is, like Elizabeth, one of the people in the royal family in line for the throne. The focus is on Jane’s adventures while Elizabeth, here called Bess, is in a supporting role. The fantasy element of the story comes in the form of Ethians – humans who can transform into animals, though some cannot control the change, including the man Lady Jane marries.

Bess is young here, and a supporter of Jane’s potential succession to the throne in the wake of her brother slowly being poisoned throughout the series. While that is very different from reality, the idea of the Ethians versus the Verity, as non-transforming humans are called, is very similar to the Protestant and Catholic clashes of the same era.

The series was, unfortunately, canceled following the first season. If the series had continued, the season finale hinted that there would have been a larger storyline coming for Bess in the future that may have gotten closer to the Elizabeth I reign.