As much at home in Beckett as in Shakespeare, Ashcroft had imagination, industry and intelligence. She rose to the challenge of playing Queen Margaret in this mesmerising 1963 trilogy

It wasn’t just his remarkable intellect that enabled Wood to portray both the youthful and aged Henry Carr; it was also his ability to capture the character’s essence

With its mix of sensuality and intelligence, her portrayal of Hester Collyer at London’s Almeida in 1993 towers above all others

Sporting floppy hair and a cravat, Redgrave captured the key fact about many Chekhov characters: that it is possible to be comic outside and tragic inside

Atkins’s turn as Mrs Rooney in the 2012 revival of Samuel Beckett’s play showed off all her skills, subtlely and emotional directness

In Alan Ayckbourn’s 1987 National Theatre revival, Gambon demonstrated his massive physical presence, and Brando-like gift for suggesting the sensitivity within

At Stratford in 1961 the star set a gold standard for the role of Rosalind. Her whole interpretation was about the poleaxing effect of passion

In Peter Hall’s 1987 National Theatre production, Dench took Shakespeare’s character and re-created it from her own personality and imagination

As Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron, Rylance transformed himself into a strutting, muscular figure in Jez Butterworth’s haunting study of a changing England

In our new series, Michael Billington picks 10 theatrical performances that have etched themselves on his memory. The list begins with Olivier as John Osborne’s Archie Rice