LOS ANGELES - Judi Dench has been a Dame of the British Empire for 23 years. She has an Oscar, a Tony, two Golden Globes and nine Baftas. The greatest stage actress of all time? Maybe. A recent London poll thought so.

But there she was, barefoot and curled on a hotel sofa here, laughing herself hoarse while recalling a formative performance - as a snail. It was a kindergarten play. Ms. Dench, 5 or 6 at the time, did some improvisational slithering that grabbed the audience’s attention, and not in a good way.

“It’s as if I was wearing those woolly snail tights 10 minutes ago,” said Ms. Dench, now 76. “I don’t have a good memory for routine things - like that I have to go out and buy, you know, some bacon and a belt. But I do have a good memory for my friends and the things I’ve done.”

That memory, along with Ms. Dench’s sense of humor, is on full display in a new book, “And Furthermore,” that chronicles her 54-year career. The book starts at the beginning, in 1957, when Ms. Dench was cast as Ophelia in a production of “Hamlet” at the Old Vic in London. From there it proceeds production by production through 2010, sharing memories good and bad, along with a bit of life advice.

Ms. Dench refused to label “And Furthermore” an autobiography or memoir. She said she preferred to think of it as a 268-page addendum to “Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice,” a 1998 biography by John Miller. Mr. Miller and Ms. Dench, who are longtime friends, compiled “And Furthermore” from transcripts of taped conversations they have had over the years.

At an age when most people are slowing down, Ms. Dench seems to have energy to spare. She arrived in Los Angeles on February 2 to work on Clint Eastwood’s next film, a biopic of J. Edgar Hoover, after nine weeks in India shooting “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” about a group of British retirees.

She will pop up in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” in May, guest star in the London production of the musical “Sondheim on Sondheim” later this year and reprise her role as the prickly intelligence chief M in the next James Bond movie. She returns to movie theaters in a new production of “Jane Eyre,” being released in some European countries this fall.

“What is the percentage of people doing the job they absolutely love in this world?” she asked. “Two percent? Three? Surely not more. I don’t want to rest.” She added: “It’s like putting a car in a garage. It’s hard to get it started after that.”

Ms. Dench is well known among actors for her generosity and approachable demeanor. But if “And Furthermore” contains any revelations, Mr. Miller says, it’s that she is not to be trifled with. One anecdote in the book recounts the time Ms. Dench wrote a letter to the theater critic of The Daily Telegraph.

“I used to admire you, but now I realize you are complete ... ,” the letter said, using a vulgarity. (The critic wrote her back, saying that he was no such thing. “I love my wife, and I’m kind to my cat,” was his defense.)

Awards also try Ms. Dench’s nerves. Don’t get her wrong, she loves receiving them - particularly her Oscar, which she won for her brief portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in “Shakespeare in Love” (1998).

But Oscar campaigns and the long lead-up to the ceremony leave Ms. Dench, who has been nominated six times, more than a little cold.


By BROOKS BARNES