The saying goes ‘like mother like daughter’ and that’s certainly the case for Judi Dench and her lookalike daughter Finty Williams, who not only share a resemblance now, but have done for more than four decades.
Legendary actress Judi, 83, was joined by her 46-year-old daughter Finty at the Pack of Lies press night in London on Monday, with the movie star opting for a casual look in loose jeans, a white t-shirt and a long blue cardigan as she supported her daughter, who stars in the play.
Finty meanwhile shone out in tight black jeans, a black silk top with white lace across the chest and a black blazer – looking just like her mum exactly 46 years ago when she welcomed her daughter into the world.
Indeed, the striking resemblance can truly be seen in a stunning black and white photo of Judi with her late husband Michael Williams, which was taken shortly after Judi gave birth to Finty, whose birth name is actually Tara. It shows the actress proudly cradling her daughter in her arms with Michael seen leaning in and planting a sweet kiss on his daughter’s forehead – all while Judi smiles at the camera.
The similarities between the actress then and her daughter now are amazing. While Judi had shorter cropped dark hair at the time, the pair share very similar facial features. Judi’s iconic smile is unmistakable in the old photo and she looks blissfully happy alongside her family.
Finty will play the exact same role of Barbara Jackson that Judi played in the original play, alongside her husband at the time.
However, the young actress recently hit back at those who try to compare her to her mother, saying it “pisses her off hugely”, in an interview with The Times.
She said: “It pisses me off being pre-judged. That pisses me off, pisses me off hugely. Just because I don’t think it’s fair. A lot of people want to go, ‘She’s not as good as her mother,’ which is true, but I can also name you another 80 people who probably aren’t as good.
“I don’t know whether, if your father is a brain surgeon, people go, ‘He’s not as good a brain surgeon as his father.’ I don’t know whether that happens, but because of who Ma is, a lot of people have an opinion, which they form before they get to know me or before they see what I can do.”
Finty is the only child of Judi and her late husband and has starred alongside her A-list mother in several projects, including 1997’s Mrs Brown.