Hopkins and Dench are best of British

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Dame Judi Dench have been voted the best British actor and actress of all time by a poll commissioned by London's Old Vic Theatre.

Hopkins, who won an Oscar for his role in The Silence Of The Lambs, and has appeared in films such as Nixon, Meet Joe Black and Alexander, finished ahead of Sir Laurence Olivier, Sean Connery, Alec Guinness and Michael Caine.

Others still plying their trade in the film industry who made the top 20 were Sir Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Ray Winston, Robert Carlyle and Kenneth Branagh.

Meanwhile, Dench, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress in Shakespeare In Love, topped the list of British actresses.

She has featured in the more recent Bond films, as well as Iris and Chocolat, and claimed top spot ahead of Julie Walters, Elizabeth Taylor, Maggie Smith and Julie Andrews.

Helen Mirren, Emma Thompson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Kate Winslet also featured in the top 20.

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