This year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) film awards will see acting legend Dame Helen Mirren presented with the Academy Fellowship – the highest accolade bestowed by the Academy on an individual in recognition of outstanding and exceptional contribution to film, television or games.
Previous recipients include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave and Christopher Lee.
Dame Helen has won four BAFTAs and been nominated a further seven times, She is also the recipient of an Academy Award, three Golden Globes and four Emmy Awards.
She will be presented with the Fellowship in front of a celebrity packed audience at the film awards ceremony on Sunday 16 February.
Sponsored by mobile network EE, the ceremony will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One and BBC One HD and hosted by Stephen Fry. There will also be the traditional red carpet show on BBC Three ahead of the ceremony.
John Willis, Chairman of BAFTA, said: “Dame Helen Mirren receives the Fellowship as one of the most outstanding actresses of her generation. Dame Helen’s incredibly successful career is testament to the determination, dedication and skill she brings to each of her roles.”
Dame Helen commented: “This is the greatest professional honour I can imagine, certainly one I never dreamt of as a schoolgirl in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. To join that list of legendary names is overwhelming.”