Dame Judi Dench, Emma Watson and Robert Downey Jr have all been honoured at the Bafta Britannia Awards in Los Angeles.
British stars Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Ben Barnes and Downton Abbey’s Allen Leech were joined by Dustin Hoffman, Jamie Foxx and Hailee Steinfeld at the ceremony, which celebrated the top talents in the US and UK industry.
Oscar-winning actress Dame Judi, 79, was presented with the Albert R “Cubby” Broccoli Award for Worldwide Contribution in Entertainment by Dustin Hoffman.
Former Harry Potter actress Emma was named Britannia British Artist of the Year, while Iron Man star Robert received the Stanley Kubrick Award for Excellence in Film, named after the legendary director of such films as 2001: A Space Odyssey. He was accompanied by wife Susan, who showed off her baby bump.
Dame Judi revealed she has no plans to step down from the spotlight, as she received her latest honour from Bafta.
The Philomena star, who portrayed MI6 head M in seven Bond films spanning 17 years, said: “People like to say, ‘When are you retiring?’ Or ‘When are you going to slow down?’ That’s all very rude in my family. We don’t say any of that.
“I think if I stop, it’ll be like a car: I shall run out of petrol and fall over. So, I plan not to do that, if possible.”
Dame Judi – who received her first Bafta award in 1965 for Most Promising Newcomer – said of her prize, named after one of the original producers of the James Bond films: “Well, I’m rather overwhelmed by (the award), because I didn’t ever expect to have a film career at all.
“I never knew Cubby Broccoli, although I know, of course, (Albert’s daughter) Barbara Broccoli and (Barbara’s half-brother and Bond-series producer) Michael Wilson very well. And I’ve had 17 years of doing Bond, which has been just wonderful. So, I’m very, very proud that I shall have something that is named after Cubby.”
Hoffman, Dame Judi’s co-star in upcoming BBC One show, Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot and her director in 2012 drama Quartet, said of the actress: “She’s the most exciting actor I’ve ever worked with and that’s the truth. Also, the youngest, the sexiest and the horniest.”
Fellow award winner Emma said the veteran actress was “just all soul and all grace and strength and beauty, and she really, for me, she’s an iconic British actor. She’s what you aspire to be.”
Downey Jr, meanwhile, said of his gong: “(The award) means a heck of a lot to me. I love British filmmakers, and they have such a great talent pool. We find it very civilising to work with Brits. It’s about respect and tradition.”
Mike Leigh won the John Schlesinger Award for Excellence in Directing. The Mr Turner filmmaker said: “It’s a great honour. Awards like these are great because it means that people appreciate what one does, and you don’t feel like you’ve been wasting years and years slaving away.”
Other winners included Mark Ruffalo, the recipient of the Britannia Humanitarian Award, and Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who received the Charlie Chaplin Award for Excellence in Comedy.
The Bafta Los Angeles Jaguar Britannia Awards, which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, will air on BBC America on November 2.
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