Vanessa Redgrave to receive BAFTA fellowship

Vanessa Redgrave will receive the Academy Fellowship at this year’s Orange BAFTA Awards, which take place in London on February 21.

She joins previous recipients Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Stanley Kubrick, Julie Christie and last year’s winner Terry Gilliam.

The British actress has been nominated for six Oscars during her career, winning the best actress award in 1977 for her performance in Fred Zinneman’s Julia.

Her recent work includes Joe Wright’s Atonement, and Venus. Future film projects include Letters to Juliet with Amanda Seyfried and Gael Garcia Bernal, and The Whistleblower with Rachel Weisz and Monica Bellucci

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.”

Redgrave added: “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.”