Iris is a 2001 biopic of novelist Iris Murdoch, based on the memoirs of her husband, John Bayley. The narrative moves between Murdoch and Bayley’s student years at Oxford, where they are played by Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville respectively; and their later life (played by Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent), when Murdoch is suffering from dementia.
Broadbent won an Oscar® for his portrayal as the older Bayley, while Judi Dench and Reading’s Kate Winslet were both nominated. It is one of only two instances where two different actors were nominated for playing the same role, the other being Titanic (Gloria Stuart and Winslet again).
The film was directed by Richard Eyre, written by Eyre and Charles Wood, and produced by BBC Films in partnership with Fox Iris Productions, Intermedia and Mirage Enterprises. It was distributed by Buena Vista International in the UK and Miramax Films in the US.