Emily Watson To Be Honoured At BIFAs With Richard Harris Award

This coming Sunday 30th November the  28th BIFA awards ceremony will take place in London. On that night Emily Watson will be honoured with the Richard Harris Award.

The award was introduced in 2002 and recognises an outstanding contribution by an actor to British film. The previous winners include amongst others, Samantha Morton, Riz Ahmed, Kristin Scott Thomas, Daniel Day-Lewis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julie Walters, Stephen Graham and last year’s  honourary Sophie Okonedo.

Watson is one of our most celebrated actors who has never disappointed  on stage, screen or television.  Her outstanding work was recognised  in 2025 when she was awarded the OBE.

A keen theatregoer from childhood, she was honing her talent as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company when Lars von Trier cast her in Breaking the Waves (1996) opposite Stellan Skarsgård. Her Oscar nominated performance won her plaudits, most of filmmakers wanted Emily in their films.

Soon she would be working with no other than Daniel Day Lewis in Jim Sheridan’s The Boxer in 1998. she was Oscar nominated a second time, Alan Parker’s adaptation of Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes would follow. She was a member of the all-star ensemble of hit upstairs/downstairs whodunnit Gosford Park (2001), describing working with Robert Altman as “anarchy, in a good way”.

Emily Watson would earn her third Oscar nomination for her performance as the brilliant, wild and tragic cellist Jacqueline du Pré in Anand Tucker’s Hilary & Jackie. She also starred alongside Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love (2002), Paul Thomas Anderson’s foray into romantic comedy. We could go on for ever, the actress has won praise and nods (including several BIFA nominations), a fantastic catalogue of projects.

Emily’s recent projects include reform school drama Steve, which reunited her with Tim Mielants and Cillian Murphy, and she will star once more in HBO/Max series Dune: Prophecy, back for season two. On the big screen, she’ll be next seen alongside Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley in Chloe Zhao’s highly anticipated Hamnet, releasing in UK cinemas in January.

Emily Watson commented on the award: “I’m delighted and deeply honoured to be receiving this award. I’ve had the great privilege of spending time with Jared as an actor and raconteur, hearing thrilling wild tales of his dad and the force that he was. I’m so grateful to the Harris family for thinking of me. Truly an honour. Thank you BIFA.”

Richard Harris sons Jared, Jamie and Damien Harris also commented on Emily’s award “Emily’s first film was Lars von Trier’s epic Breaking the Waves, which is like saying the first mountain she climbed was Everest. It was a fearless and devastating performance and was rightly recognised with multiple honours, and her first Oscar nomination. Since then, there have been a succession of Emily Watson performances that have again rightly been acknowledged with nominations, honours and awards, including a BIFA. Emily is too young to be called a national treasure, but any performance of hers is a cultural event and she enhances the quality of everything in which she appears. She rightly takes her place alongside the past recipients of the Richard Harris Award.”

The 28th British Independent Film Awards takes place on Sunday 30th November, hopefully that night we’ll share who has won what.