The Mole is Screen Idle’s Hollywood insider, bringing you the latest showbiz gossip.
Dame Judi Dench is arguably Britain’s greatest actor, but did you know that she has the strangest hobby you could think of?
She collects beards!
Her collection is considered by beard enthusiasts to be the finest in the world.
The Philomena star discovered the joy of collecting beards in 2005 when she found that Rudolph Valentino’s beard was for sale on Ebay.
“Oh goodness, yes. Judi was terribly excited when she got the Valentino beard,” said a close friend.
“She showed it to simply everyone and even wore it to the premiere of Casino Royale.”
It began a love-affair with beard collecting that shows no sign of letting up as she recently acquired Sigmund Freud’s earliest known beards, considered in the beard collecting world to be one the most important beards on the planet.
“She was certainly pleased to acquire the Freud beard, but I don’t believe she collects beards for status or for money,” confirmed the friend.
“It’s just the simple love of beards that inspires her.”
In fact, so down-to-earth is Dame Judy that her favourite beard in the collection is a beard that someone left on the bus.
“She just thinks its lovely and tidy,” said the friend.
Dame Judy can be seen next in 2019’s Artemis Fowl where, knowing her, she’ll be looking for another beard or two to add to her collection.
Next week I’ll tell you which Hollywood director was actually born in 1698 in Renaissance Germany.
Mole out.
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