New Year Honours 2021: Movie figures recognised, including Roger Deakins and Lesley Manville
Screen royalty has been recognised in the 2021 New Year Honours List, with many glittering legends of cinema awarded with swanky letters after their name. It has been a difficult year for a lot of people, but it’s great to see some of the most deserving figures in the British film and television industry given recognition for their hard work on the screen and behind the camera.
Here are the big names who will now be enjoying the novelty of asking their family to address them by their new titles for at least the rest of the day.
Sir Roger Deakins
After decades of waiting, the most celebrated cinematographer in Hollywood finally won his Oscar. At the 14th time of asking, the Academy finally rewarded Roger Deakins for his work on Blade Runner 2049. Two years later, he repeated the feat at this year’s ceremony when he was handed another Oscar for lensing Sam Mendes’s ambitious war movie 1917.
Read more: Deakins hates iconic Shawshank shot
He can now add a knighthood to his list of successes. After a career packed with amazing work for the likes of the Coen Brothers, Denis Villeneuve and Martin Scorsese, it’s a fitting honour for the 71-year-old cinema legend.
Dame Sheila Hancock
Best known for her garlanded work on stage — she has won an Olivier Award and been nominated for a Tony — the 87-year-old star has also had an extensive career on the big and small screens. She appeared in Carry on Cleo in 1964, as well as comedy sequel Three Men and a Little Lady and as the grandmother of the young protagonist in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
Read more: Watch the trailer for Edie, starring Sheila Hancock
One of her most recent roles was in the independent drama film Edie, in which she played an octogenarian woman attempting to climb a Scottish mountain. Impressively, Hancock — aged 83 at the time of filming — scaled Suilven in the Highlands for real. That’s worthy of becoming a dame in itself.
Lesley Manville CBE
Lesley Manville is one of Britain’s most cherished and beloved actors. She is set to take on the role of Princess Margaret in The Crown from its fifth series, but she has first been given a CBE. Manville has worked extensively for Mike Leigh and as a character actor on the big screen. Bafflingly, she has never been awarded with an Oscar, but received a nomination for her brilliant work opposite Daniel Day-Lewis in 2017 drama Phantom Thread.
Toby Jones OBE
Toby Jones is a character actor with one of the most eclectic filmographies of anyone working on the big and small screens in Britain today. His repertoire spans small roles in blockbusters like Captain America: The First Avenger and The Hunger Games as well as playing Truman Capote in Infamous and later Alfred Hitchcock in TV movie The Girl.
On the small screen, he attracted praise for his work as villains in Sherlock and Doctor Who, as well as earning a BAFTA for his work alongside Mackenzie Crook in Detectorists. He can now add an OBE to his list of achievements.
Jed Mercurio OBE
If there has been a TV show discussed around the water cooler in the last few years, the chances are that it was created by Jed Mercurio. The man behind Line of Duty and Bodyguard has delivered a selection of ratings hits in an age dominated by streaming services, so it’s no surprise to see him honoured with an OBE.
Nina Wadia OBE
Nina Wadia is best known for her work on the small screen, including in Doctor Who and as Zainab Masood in Eastenders. She has also made the jump to films, however, with roles in Bend It Like Beckham and the Street Cat Named Bob movies. In 2019, she also had a small role in Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin.
Read more: Disney planning sequel to Aladdin
Jonty Claypole MBE
Jonty Claypole has been awarded as an MBE in recognition of his role as director of BBC Arts, from which he will step down in April 2021. He has served as a producer on numerous documentary films for the big and small screens, mostly focused around art.
Watch: New Year Honours 2021 round-up
