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Congratulations on well-deserved Bafta Fellowship Award!


LONDON -- On February 21, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts will present Vanessa Redgrave with the Academy Fellowship at the Orange British Academy Film Awards ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House.

Awarded annually by the Academy, the Fellowship is the highest accolade bestowed upon an individual in recognition of an outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Previously honoured Fellows include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor, Julie Christie, John Barry, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench. Last year’s recipient was Terry Gilliam.

David Parfitt, Chair of the Academy said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be awarding the fellowship to Vanessa. She is a hugely talented and respected actress who has served as an inspiration to the British film industry.”

Vanessa Redgrave adds: “I’m truly delighted, it’s such an honour to be recognised in this way. Looking through the list of past recipients shows what a wonderful accolade this is, and the fact that Alfred Hitchcock was the very first recipient makes it even more special, as my father made his first film with him.”

One of the most celebrated actresses of her generation, Vanessa has enjoyed a successful career, spanning six decades: she has received great acclaim for her work on stage, television and film, with countless BAFTA, Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her varied range of roles.

Vanessa studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, and first enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim in 1967 with Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, which brought Vanessa her first BAFTA nomination along with the first of 6 Oscar and 11 Golden Globe nominations. This was followed up with her performances as the title roles in Isadora and Mary, Queen of Scots. Having received the Actress Award from BAFTA in 1966, 10 years later, Vanessa won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Julia. And, in 1987, a BAFTA Actress nomination in the Actress in a Supporting Role for Prick Up Your Ears.

Recent work includes the 2002 miniseries The Gathering Storm and Atonement and Venus. On stage, Joan Didion’s one woman play The Year of Magical Thinking brought great acclaim as did her role in Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

Future film projects include Letters to Juliet and The Whistleblower.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards will be hosted by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One from 9pm on February 21.

Great actress! Excellent choice!

FYC: Three-time Academy Awards nominee Angela Lansbury for an Honorary Oscar

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Cringingly awful speech, though. She said she ought to stick to what she'd written . . . Well, either she'd forgotten how to read or she didn't follow her own advice. She rambled, made no sense, didn't finish her sentences and just went on and on with no apparent reason. I'm delighted that she received the award but I really was praying for her to finish up and leave the stage.

"You people. If there isn't a movie about it, it's not worth knowing about, is it" - Dogma

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Yes she did witter on a bit but who deserves to ramble on more than this superlative actress? I have seen her onstage twice and she was mesmerising both times. There is no actress to touch her work today - Meryl Streep comes close but you can often see the wheels turning in a Streep performance whereas Redgrave is luminescent and very spiritual in every part she plays - you can see her feel her way through a performance. It's about time she was feted.

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Nice to hear Redgrave speak without praising terrorists who murder children in Russian schools

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Cringingly awful speech, though. She said she ought to stick to what she'd written . . . Well, either she'd forgotten how to read or she didn't follow her own advice. She rambled, made no sense, didn't finish her sentences and just went on and on with no apparent reason. I'm delighted that she received the award but I really was praying for her to finish up and leave the stage.
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I'm going through a very personal loss right now and knee deep into grieving. I can honestly tell you, it took a LOT of courage and elegance on her part to stand on that stage and address the world.
She must have had her daughter in her thoughts all the time, she must be tearing into a million pieces, but she held her own and gave a speech, not bringing up her personal grief once. She could've done so and people would've cried and sympathised with her, but she didn't.

Kudos to her, she's such a professional,very rare in today's twitter society, where people would do ANYTHING to gain attention.

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