Dame Helen Mirren won again for her portrayal of the Queen at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards on Sunday evening (Sunday 17, 2013). The actress, who won an Oscar for Stephen Frears' The Queen in 2007, was named best actress for her performance as the monarch in the West End stage play The Audience.

Helen MirrenHelen Mirren Won Best Actress At The Evening Standard Awards

The best actor prize was shared between Adrian Lester and Rory Kinnear for their performances in Shakespeare's Othello and Iago at the National Theatre.

"The audience, they loved it, but they were loving the Queen, not me," said a modest Mirren upon collecting her award.

Director Stephen Daldry confirmed they were "in negotiations" to take The Audience to New York's Broadway.

Before the ceremony, Dame Helen said she thought the praise she had received for The Audience was as much for the Queen as for herself.

"I did feel very much that the response to the play was as much a response to that person, that extraordinary woman, as it was to my performance," she told the BBC.

Hayley Atwell Evening StandardHayley Atwell Stunned At The Evening Standard Theatre Awards

Elsewhere, Dame Maggie Smith received the Evening Standard Theatre Icon award by actress Kristin Scott Thomas. An emotional Dame Maggie received a standing ovation as she collected the honour.

"I know how long I've been working because I saw The Mousetrap before it came into London," observed the actress, who turns 79 next month. 

The veteran performer - now starring in Downton Abbey - admitted to being "astonished" by the length of her career but that she was "very sad" not to have worked on the stage more often in recent years.

Next page: pictures of Hayley Atwell.