(London) Actresses Judi Dench and Sian Phillips are to become the first two female members of the Garrick Club, one of London’s oldest private members’ clubs, which has increasingly been criticised for being male-only.
According to Guardianthe Garrick Club on Monday night named Judi Dench, 89, and Siân Phillips, 91, as “eminent members”.
The institution, founded in 1831 and located in the Covent Garden district of central London, has among its members many judges and lawyers, journalists, senior civil servants and politicians.
Like other prestigious clubs, the Garrick was reserved for men under an ancient rule, regularly denounced as archaic and a symbol of male exclusivity in places of power and influence.
According to a list revealed in March by The GuardianKing Charles III and actors Brian Cox (Succession) and Benedict Cumberbatch are among them.
The publication of the list increased pressure on the club to admit women. The head of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Richard Moore, and Downing Street Secretary Simon Case, the country’s most senior civil servant, announced they were leaving the Garrick Club.
Then, in a vote in May, members voted in favor of opening the membership to women.
Judi Dench, who first shone on stage, became known worldwide for her role as “M”, James Bond’s boss. She is the most decorated English actress with two Oscars, two Golden Globes, ten Baftas (British Academy Of Film And Television Arts) and multiple theatre awards.
Siân Phillips is a Welsh actress, best known for her roles in theatre. In film, she has played several times with Peter O’Toole, to whom she was married. She appeared in the film Dune by David Lynch in 1984.
They were granted accelerated membership at the annual members’ meeting.
Several other women are expected to join the club, including former Home Secretary Amber Rudd and Channel 4 journalist Cathy Newman. But traditional membership can take between two and five years.
The Garrick Club did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment.
In 2015, a vote on admitting women failed to garner a sufficient majority at Garrick.
In 2021, a petition received support from Cherie Blair, a renowned lawyer and wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
She had recounted how in 1976 she had had to stay outside while her future husband had been allowed in.