British Actor and Director, Samantha Morton, is set to receive BAFTA’s highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship. The honor will be presented at the BAFTA Film Awards hosted y David Tennant in London on February 18.

Morton is known for her work as an actor in The Whale (2022), She Said (2022), Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them (2016), and The Walking Dead (2010). She also directed the film The Unloved (2009). 

Morton said in receiving the honor, “As a proud BAFTA member I am honored, profoundly humbled and grateful to BAFTA for giving me this award.”

Morton has been a member of BAFTA since 12 years old. Her first acting experience being a stage role at the Royal Court. Morton also had roles in hit television shows such as, Cracker (1994), Band of gold (1995), and The History of Tome Jones (1997). The actress earned a BIFA nomination for her performance in Under the Skin, which also earned her the Boston film Critics Award for best actress.

Morton received a BAFTA Television award for her work on Longford (2006). In the show, Morton played child murdered Myra Hindley. Her BAFTA recognitions did not end there, as the actor/director also received a BAFTA Television Award for best single drama for her TV film The Unloved, which she directed.

The chair of BAFTA’s film committee Anna Higgs described Morton as, “a mesmerizing storyteller with incredible range. She has made an extraordinary impact on the British film industry – consistently shining a light on complex characters and championing underrepresented stories. On-and-off screen, she always works to break down societal barriers and change the make-up of the screen industries for the better – often against great odds.” Higgs added, “Samantha is hugely respected by her peers in Britain and Hollywood alike for her versatility, talent, and passion for the craft of acting.”

BAFTA released a statement saying, “Having work with Darren Aronofsky, Jim Sheridan, Charlie Kaufman, Lynne Ramsay, David Cronenberg, Harmony Korine, Steven Spielberg, Michael Winterbottom and David Yates, on films spanning Morvern Callar (2002) and Control (2007) to Minority Report (2002) and The Whale (2022), she is beloved by British independent filmmakers and Hollywood titans alike.”

The BAFTA Fellowship was awarded to Sandy Powell last year. Powell is known for her costume design on films such as Gangs of New York, Shakespeare in Love, The Irishman, and Carol. Previous winners include Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese, Helen Mirren, Ang Lee, Judi Dench, Charlie Chaplin, Anthony Hopkins, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mel Brooks.

The ceremony will be held at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. BBC One and BBC streamer iPlayer will stream the event in the UK. Fans in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and South Africa will also be able to watch the ceremony through Streamer BritBox International.