Strong women; actresses love to portray them. It is no wonder Cate Blanchett has returned for a second appearance as one of the strongest women in history: England's Queen Elizabeth I.

Queen Elizabeth I on Film

By: Deborah Buckner

Strong women; actresses love to portray them. Audiences love to watch them. In its Golden Age, Hollywood understood this, and the careers of Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Crawford, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, and Greer Garson, to name only a few, attest to this. In these days of a dearth of such roles for women, it is no wonder Cate Blanchett has returned for a second appearance as one of the strongest women in history: England's Queen Elizabeth I. How could such a woman not develop strength, born to King Henry VIII and his mistress-turned-queen, Anne Boleyn (the first of Henry's wives to meet her fate at the block), sister of Queen Mary I, and monarch threatened by the Spanish Armada and by her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots?

Having portrayed the young Tudor in Elizabeth (1998), Blanchett now returns as Queen Elizabeth in all her glory, taking on the Spanish Armada in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Blanchett is one of several actresses who jumped at the opportunity to portray Elizabeth more than once. For those who can't get enough of seeing Queen Elizabeth portrayed on screen, these other offerings may be of interest. (Actresses named in bold face have played the role more than once on film).

The Young Elizabeth

Young Bess (1953) Jean Simmons portrays Elizabeth in her life before she became queen.

Anne of a Thousand Days (1969) Richard Burton and Genevieve Bayold star as Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in this tale of Anne's brief life as Henry's love and queen. Amanda Jane Smythe portrays baby Elizabeth.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970) six-part television miniseries. Keith Mitchell stars as the multi-marrying monarch, each episode devoted to one of his marriages. Jody Schaller appears as Princess Elizabeth.

Elizabeth (1998) - Cate Blanchett stars in this story of the early life of Queen Elizabeth.

The Royal Diaries: Elizabeth I – Red Rose of the House of Tudor (2005) made-for-television movie. Tamara Hope portrays the young Elizabeth.

Elizabeth in the Golden Age

Amours de la reine Elisabeth, Les (Queen Elizabeth) (1912). This French film stars Sarah Bernhardt as Elizabeth with Lou Tellegen as the Earl of Essex.

The Virgin Queen (1923). Stars Diana Manners as Elizabeth.

Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924). Mary Pickford directed (uncredited) and stars in this story of a young girl in the time of Queen Elizabeth. Clare Eames portrays the queen.

Drake of England (1935) Athene Seyler portrays Queen Elizabeth opposite Matheson Lang's Sir Francis Drake.

Fair Over England (1937). Flora Robson portrays Elizabeth in the time of the Spanish Armada, opposite Raymond Massey as Spain's King Philip.

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939). Based on the play by Maxwell Anerson. Bette Davis stars as Elizabeth, opposite Errol Flynn as Robert Devereaux, the Earl of Essex.

The Sea Hawk (1940). Flora Robson portrays Queen Elizabeth, enlisting the aid of Geoffrey Thorpe (Errol Flynn), a pirate, against the Spanish Armada.

The Virgin Queen (1955). Bette Davis appears as Elizabeth, opposite Richard Todd as Sir Walter Raleigh.

Elizabeth R (1971). Glenda Jackson portrays the queen in this television miniseries.

Elizabeth the Queen (1968). Based on Maxwell Anderson's play, Judith Anderson portrays Elizabeth opposite Charlton Heston's Earl of Essex.

Dominatore dei sette mari, II (Seven Seas to Calais) (1962). This Italian film features Irene Worth as Elizabeth and Rod Taylor as Sir Francis Drake.

Blackadder (1986). Miranda Richardson portrays Queen Elizabeth in six episodes, enduring the courtship of Lord Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson).

Based on a story by Virginia Woolf, Queen Elizabeth (Quentin Crisp) commands Orlando, a young nobleman (Tilda Swinton), to remain forever young.

The Virgin Queen (2005). This television mini series presents the entire life of Elizabeth, portrayed by Anne-Marie Duff.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Cate Blanchett returns to the role of Elizabeth, facing the Spanish Armada. READ THE REVIEW

Elizabeth and Mary, Queen of Scots

The Loves of Mary, Queen of Scots (1923). Fay Compton plays Mary opposite Ellen Compton as Elizabeth.

Mary of Scotland (1936). Katharine Hepburn portrays Mary opposite Florence Eldridge as Elizabeth.

Herz der Konigin, Des (The Heart of a Queen; also known as Mary, Queen of Scots) (1940). In this German-made film, Zarah Leander portrays Mary opposite Maria Koppenhofer as Elizabeth.

Mary, Queen of Scots (1972). Vanessa Redgrave portrays Mary opposite Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth.

Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004). In this story of the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots and her son, James, who became England's King James I, Clemence Poesy portrays Mary and Catherine McCormack portrays Elizabeth.

The Older Elizabeth

Shakespeare in Love (1998). Judi Dench won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her eight-minutes of screen time portraying Queen Elizabeth. (If this doesn't demonstrate power, what does?).

Elizabeth I (2005). This British mini series stars Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth I in her later years.