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Source: BBC

Judi Dench in ‘The Dames’

The British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) have announced that Judi Dench will be honoured with the 2018 Richard Harris award for outstanding contribution by an actor to British film.

The award recognises her acting career in the UK and advocacy of the British film industry across the globe.

This year’s BIFA awards ceremony takes place on Sunday December 2 at Old Billingsgate.

Previous winners of the award, introduced in 2002 in honour of actor Richard Harris, have included Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent, Alison Steadman, Bob Hoskins and, in 2017, Vanessa Redgrave.

Dench commented: “It has been my absolute privilege to spend almost 60 years working in the British film industry, one of the most vibrant and creative homes for filmmakers in the world. To be recognised with this award, which bears the name of the great Richard Harris and counts some of my favourite actors and actresses amongst its past recipients is a source of deep pride and a very special honour.”

During her career Dench has won an Academy Award, ten Bafta awards, and a record eight Laurence Olivier Awards. She became a DBE (Dame of the British Empire) in 1988.