The Oscar-nominated star of The Favourite, Olivia Colman, will be made a fellow of the British Film Institute at a ceremony in London next month.
The BFI says it’s bestowing its highest accolade on the actress – who started out in comedies, such as Peep Show – in “recognition of her distinctive and prodigious acting talents and the huge impact she has on audiences all over the world.”
The 45 year old’s other TV work includes The Night Manager, Twenty Twelve, Broadchurch and she’s recently taken over the role of Queen Elizabeth in The Crown. On the big screen, she’s forged a similarly successful career, with credits including The Iron Lady, Hyde Park on Hudson, The Lobster and Tyrannosaur.
“I’m absolutely bowled over,” she said of her latest honour. “The BFI is a wonderful organisation and that I will soon be in a Fellowship with so many of my heroes is an honour that is hard to compute. Thank you a thousand times, I really am thrilled.”
The Chairman of the BFI, Josh Berger, said, “Olivia is a brilliant comic actor and one of the industry’s finest dramatic performers. Her ability to be relatable in such a diverse range of roles generates incredible warmth and admiration from audiences.”
Other stars to have been awarded the BFI Fellowship in recent years include the directors Paul Greengrass and Steve McQueen, the actress Cate Blanchett and the actor Hugh Grant.
Before being honoured by the BFI at the Chairman’s Dinner on 6th March, Colman will find out whether her role as Queen Anne in The Favourite has earned her a BAFTA or an Oscar.