In 2012 , Mirren played Alfred Hitchcock 's wife Alma Reville in the 2012 biopic '' Hitchcock '' , directed by Sacha Gervasi and based on Stephen Rebello 's non-fiction book '' Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho '' . The film centres on the pair 's relationship during the making of '' Psycho '' , a controversial horror film that became one of the most acclaimed and influential works in the filmmaker 's career . It became a moderate arthouse success and garnered a lukewarm critical response from critics , who felt that it suffered from " tonal inconsistency and a lack of truly insightful retrospection . " Mirren was universally praised for her play however , with Roger Ebert noting that the film depended most on her portrayal , which he found to be " warm and effective . " Her other film that year was '' The Door '' , a claustrophobic drama film directed by István Szabó , based on the Hungarian novel of the same name . Set at the height of communist rule in 1960s Hungary , the story of the adaptation centres on the abrasive influence that a mysterious housekeeper wields over her employer and successful novelist , played Martina Gedeck . Mirren found the role " difficult to play " and cited doing it as " one of the hardest things she has ever done . " The following year , Mirren replaced Bette Midler in David Mamet 's biographical television film '' Phil Spector '' about the American musician . The HBO film focuses on the relationship between Spector and his defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden , played by Mirren , during the first of his two murder trials for the 2003 death of Lana Clarkson in his California mansion . '' Spector '' received largely mixed to positive reviews from critics , particularly for Mirren and co-star Al Pacino 's performances , and was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards , also winning Mirren a Screen Actors Guild Award at the 20th awards ceremony . The film drew criticism both from Clarkson 's family and friends , who charged that the suicide defense was given more merit than it deserved , and from Spector 's wife , who argued that Spector was portrayed as a " foul-mouthed megalomaniac " and a " minotaur " . Also in 2013 , Mirren voiced the character of Dean Abigail Hardscrabble in Pixar 's computer-animated comedy film '' Monsters University '' , which grossed $ 743 million against its estimated budget of $ 200 million , and reprised her role in the sequel film '' Red 2 '' . The action comedy received a mixed reviews from film critics , who called it a " lackadaisical sequel " , but became another commercial success , making over $ 140 million worldwide
20th awards ceremony
20th Screen Actors Guild Awards
Helen Mirren