Hugh Grant to receive Zurich Film Festival honour

British actor Hugh Grant is to receive the Golden Icon Award at this year’s Zurich Film Festival (Sept 22-Oct 2), where his latest feature Florence Foster Jenkins is set to be screened.

Grant, known for romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, will accept the lifetime honour on Sept 27 at Zurich’s Corso Cinema. Previous recipients include Diane Keaton, Hugh Jackman, Richard Gere and last year Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Grant will also present his latest film, Stephen Frears’ comedy drama Florence Foster Jenkins, in which he stars opposite Meryl Streep. Pathé Films is releasing the film in Switzerland.

ZFF directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri said in a joint statement: “Hugh is as beloved a star as there is in the world of film. His uncanny charm and charisma have fuelled memorable performances for decades, but in watching his amazing body of work, the depth of his acting is unmistakable and equally as memorable.”

Grant has most recently been seen in Marc Lawrence romcom The Rewrite and Guy Ritchie’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E..

He previously played multiple roles in the Wachowskis’ Cloud Atlas, voiced the Pirate Captain in Aardman’s The Pirates! Band Of Misfits in 2012, and starred in Did You Hear About The Morgans opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in 2009.

Grant perhaps remains best known for his roles in Richard Curtis romcoms Four Weddings And A Funeral, for which he won a Golden Globe and BAFTA, Notting Hill and Love Actually, while playing memorable roles in Bridget Jones’s Diary and its sequel, About A Boy, Sense And Sensibility, and Mickey Blue Eyes.

In addition to his Golden Globe and BAFTA honours, Grant has been awarded the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy, best actor at Venice Film Festival and an honorary César Award.