Dames Judi Dench and Sian Phillips become Garrick Club’s first female members
Dame Judi Dench and Dame Sian Phillips have become the Garrick Club’s first female members.
The West End club, which was founded in 1831, had refused to admit women as members until a historic male-only policy was overturned following a vote of its 1,500 members in May.
Women were previously only allowed to enter the club if invited and accompanied by a man.
It is understood that approximately 60 per cent voted in favour of the change, with 40 per cent against. Members in favour of the change included Stephen Fry, James Naughtie and Lord Sumption.
The Garrick, based in Covent Garden in central London, had faced mounting pressure to change its admission policy following the resignation of several of its members, including four senior judges.
The actresses were named as distinguished members at the start of the club’s annual meeting, according to The Guardian.
Dench, 89, is an Oscar-winning actress who has performed for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and as M in the James Bond movies. Phillips, 91, has had an equally distinguished career in film, theatre and television and was made a dame in 2016 for services to drama.
The announcement of their fast-tracked memberships was met with applause by some when their names were announced.
Ordinarily, the membership process takes between two and five years, but following the vote, some members had felt unease that a woman might not be admitted until 2026.
The club’s committee can admit four new members each year if it chooses to do so.
John Simpson, the BBC’s world affairs editor, said the Garrick will be made “even better” after admitting the pair.
Writing on Twitter, he said:
Brilliant news that Judi Dench and Sian Phillips are to be the first women to join the Garrick Club. It's a great place, but it'll be even better for having female actors, politicians, writers, journalists, lawyers etc as members.
— John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) July 1, 2024
Dench’s late husband, the Shakespearean actor Michael Williams, is believed to have been a member of the Garrick and she often visited the club as his guest.
There is an oil portrait of the actress by Scottish artist Jennifer McRae hanging in the club.
Dame Mary Beard, the historian, Amber Rudd, the former home secretary, and Cathy Newman and Ayesha Hazarika, both news presenters, were also nominated as prospective members.
The agents of both Dench and Phillips were contacted for comment.
