Queen Elizabeth II is not only the longest reigning monarch of any British monarch in history, she also has an impressive catalog of credits on her own IMDb and has been mentioned and featured as a character in countless TV and movie projects.
The Queen has 8 credits as an “additional crew” for providing her “gracious permission” for various works of art archival footage, and photographs to be used in television and documentaries. She also has 272 credits appearing as herself in documentaries, TV series, and specials.
Not only has she personally appeared in hundreds of projects over the years, but she has also been featured as a character in many many films and TV shows, and even cartoons!
Check out this quick list of mentions and main characters based on the Queen:
Comedy
Lets face it, it’s fun to mock politicians and members of the monarchy. The Queen has been a character in many hilarious and crass projects.
In 1969 The Carol Burnett Show did an episode with a sketch showing what it might look like if Queen Elizabeth had her own show called The Queen Elizabeth Show. Burnett came out on stage dressed as the Queen in full regalia, addressing the crowd in a high-pitched imitation of the Queen and said that she would be coming to America in order to film a margarine commercial and referred to Princess Margaret as her “favorite charity.”
In 1988, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! focused on saving the Queen’s life as a villain named Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban) attempted to assassinate her. During a sporting event, Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), the lead character, who is undercover and disguised as an umpire, is tasked with thwarting the assassination attempt on her majesty the Queen (Jeannette Charles), who gracefully nods to her fellow baseball fans, participates in a crowd wave and throws a hell of a first pitch none the wiser.
That is, until a freshly hypnotized Reggie Jackson (played by real Angels right fielder Reggie Jackson) brandishes a gun at her while repeatedly muttering in a trance, “I must kill the queen.” Drebin then shoots a dart from his cufflinks that strikes a woman in the upper deck. The woman falls on top of Jackson and prevents him from firing the gun and the Queen’s life is saved.
Once again, Jeannette Charles played the Queen in Austin Powers in Goldmember. The Queen isn’t the main plot point in this spoof movie, but Austin Powers (Mike Myers) is knighted by the Queen in the film. Charles played the Queen approximately 29 times during the span of her career.
Comedian Fred Armisen spoofed the queen as a cantankerous monarch in several sketches on Saturday Night Live, including one in which she tells the real-life Elton John not to play his “crap” songs at a royal wedding.
Animation
Her Royal Highness has appeared as a character in several animated projects.
Most recently, Her Majesty appeared on the season four premiere of Emmy-nominated Harley Quinn. During their “Eat. Bang. Kill.” Tour, Quinn kidnaps Queen Elizabeth on Wonder Woman’s Invisible jet:
In 2015, the same year Queen Elizabeth became the longest reigning monarch, the film Minions featured the corgi-loving queen and she was voiced by Jennifer Saunders. Minions Kevin, Stuart and Bob were tasked with kidnapping the Queen in order to steal her crown.
In the 2019 animated film The Queen’s Corgi, the British monarch’s (Dame Julie Walters’) favorite dog gets lost from the palace and finds himself at a dog fight club.
The animated TV show The Simpsons featured the Queen in several episodes including one where Homer hit her carriage with the Mini Cooper he had rented was to be imprisoned in the Tower of London. Homer found a way to escape from his cell, but it turned out to be a secret passage right to The Queen’s bedroom. Queen Elizabeth later pardons Homer and allows him to leave England after he apologizes, but on the condition that he take Madonna with the family when they leave.
Drama
There have been several serious depictions of The Queen over the years in pop culture. This is a very short list of the most notable and popular ones.
Since 2016 The Crown has followed the political rivalries and romance of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the events that shaped the second half of the twentieth century. Claire Foy, Olivia Colman and Imelda Staunton have all portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s decades-spanning drama.
In 2021’s film Spencer Diana Spencer, struggling with mental-health problems during her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles, who is now the King of England. Kristen Stewart earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Diana.
Helen Mirren won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears’ 2006 film The Queen, which was also nominated for Best Picture. The film followed Queen Elizabeth II as she struggled with her reaction to a sequence of events nobody could have predicted when Princess Diana was killed in a car crash.
Appearing as herself
In addition to her Royal duties, The Queen also appeared as herself in a couple of projects including an appearance with Daniel Craig’s James Bond in a promotional video for the London Olympics. Bond accompanied Her Majesty to the opening ceremony during a helicopter ride over an adoring London crowd before the pair parachuted into the Olympic Stadium.
In one of her very last filmed appearances, the Queen shot a short film with the beloved Paddington Bear to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.
REELated:
The World Reacts
News of The Queen’s passing was shared on the official social media pages of The Royal Family:
Political leaders and celebrities took to social media to remember the monarch.
Follow us on our new Instagram Page!
