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Aziz Ansari to Receive the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy Presented by Jaguar Land Rover

10 October 2017
Aziz Ansari

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles is pleased to announce that Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer Aziz Ansari will receive the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence In Comedy presented by Jaguar Land Rover at the 2017 AMD British Academy Britannia Awards. 

He joins previously announced honorees Dick Van Dyke, who will receive the Britannia Award for Excellence in Television presented by Swarovski, Ava DuVernay, who will receive the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing presented by the GREAT Britain campaign, Claire Foy, who will receive the Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year presented by Burberry, Kenneth Branagh, who will receive the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment, and Matt Damon, who will receive the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film presented by Newegg. British comedian Jack Whitehall returns as host.

This year’s event will take place on Friday, October 27, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The event's title sponsor is AMD, and the ceremony presented by American Airlines and Jaguar Land Rover.  As part of a recently-launched ongoing partnership with IGN Entertainment, the 2017 AMD British Academy Britannia Awards will be livestreamed across IGN’s platforms that night.

“While Aziz is hardly a newcomer to the comedy scene, his recent streak of ground-breaking work makes him a deserving recipient of this year’s Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence In Comedy,” said BAFTA Los Angeles Chairman Kieran Breen. “Aziz’s thoughtful and intelligent humor seamlessly traverses cultural and national boundaries, and we are delighted to shine our spotlight on his incredible talents this year.” 

The Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy presented by Jaguar Land Rover bears the name of the consummate British comedic artist and one of the most universally recognized personalities in the history of entertainment. The Award recognizes talent whose popularity and cultural impact exemplifies the uniquely transcendent quality of excellent comedy.

The AMD British Academy Britannia Awards is BAFTA’s biggest event outside of the UK, where Brits and anglophiles alike come together in Los Angeles in celebration of exceptional members of the creative community who have dedicated their careers to advancing the art forms of the moving image in the US, UK and beyond. The AMD Britannia Awards are BAFTA Los Angeles’ highest accolades, recognizing both outstanding British talent, and exceptional international talent by virtue of their strong connection to British entertainment through their body of work. Known to be an enjoyable evening that captures a unique blend of sincerity and British irreverence, the evening also serves to celebrate the long-standing collaboration between the British and American industries. Proceeds from the event support BAFTA’s Access for All campaign, a range of impactful educational initiatives created to provide a foot-in-the-door and a pathway to success for talented individuals, uninhibited by background, demographics or personal circumstance.   World-renowned television and event production company Done + Dusted, who were recently appointed the new co-producers of the Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards, will produce the ceremony, with Event Management by MTA Events.

The 2016 ceremony took place on Friday, October 28 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was hosted by British actor and comedian Ben “Doc Brown” Smith.  Ang Lee was honored with the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing presented by the GREAT Britain Campaign, Samuel L. Jackson was honored with the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment, Ricky Gervais was honored with the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy, Ewan McGregor was honored with the Britannia Humanitarian Award, Felicity Jones was honored with the British Artist of the Year presented by Burberry, and Jodie Foster was honored with the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film presented by the Arya Group.  World-renowned television and event production company Done + Dusted produced the ceremony, with Event Management by MTA Events.

BAFTA’s other key events include the highly-anticipated TV Tea on September 16, 2017, the BAFTA Tea Party in January and the EE British Academy Film Awards in London on February 18, 2018.

Aziz Ansari stars in, writes, and directs MASTER OF NONE, a Netflix original comedy series that he co-created with Alan Yang (PARKS AND RECREATION).  Now in its second season, Aziz won the 2016 and 2017 Emmy Award for “Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series” and has received five additional nominations for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series” (2016 and 2017), “Outstanding Comedy Series” (2016 and 2017), and “Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series” (2016).  The show was nominated for a 2017 TCA Award for “Outstanding Achievement in Comedy” and Aziz was also nominated for “Individual Achievement in Comedy”. Aziz was also nominated for a 2016 Golden Globe Award for “Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy” and a 2016 Critics’ Choice nomination for “Best Actor in a Comedy Series.” Additionally, MASTER OF NONE won the 2015 Peabody Award and the 2016 Critics’ Choice Award for “Best Comedy Series” and was nominated for three Television Critics Association Awards for “Outstanding Achievement in Comedy,” “Outstanding New Program,” and “Individual Achievement in Comedy;” two NAACP Image Award Nominations for “Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series” and “Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series;” and a GLAAD nomination for “Outstanding Comedy Series.”

In 2015, Aziz became one of the only headlining comedians ever to sell out Madison Square Garden in New York. His two sold-out performances at the legendary arena were filmed for his fourth comedy special, AZIZ ANSARI: LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, which was released on Netflix in March 2015.  He continues to perform stand-up for tens of thousands of people all around the world. On television, Aziz co-starred opposite Amy Poehler in the beloved NBC series PARKS AND RECREATION for the show’s entire seven season run. Aziz’s portrayal of government employee ‘Tom Haverford’ earned him critical praise as one of the show’s breakout stars and garnered him nominations for an American Comedy Award for “Best Comedy Supporting Actor – TV” and a NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series” in 2014. On the big screen, Aziz has appeared in THIS IS THE END, FUNNY PEOPLE, 30 MINUTES OR LESS, GET HIM TO THE GREEK, I LOVE YOU, MAN, and OBSERVE AND REPORT. 

In addition to his work as a writer and performer, Aziz has lent his voice to animated projects in both film and television; the FOX animated series BOB’S BURGERS as ‘Deryl’ and in Twentieth Century Fox’s animated features EPIC and ICE AGE: CONTINENTAL DRIFT, which grossed $268 million and $877 million worldwide, respectively. In 2015, Aziz released MODERN ROMANCE, a book that focuses on modern dating and how the basic issues facing a single person—whom we meet, how we meet them, and what happens next—have been radically altered by new technologies. MODERN ROMANCE debuted at #2 on the NEW YORK TIMES “Bestseller” list. Aziz got his start in entertainment performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and with the sketch comedy group HUMAN GIANT.

For further information:
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About BAFTA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a world-leading independent arts charity that brings the very best work in film, games and television to public attention and supports the growth of creative talent in the UK and internationally. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of learning events and initiatives – which includes workshops, masterclasses, scholarships, lectures and mentoring schemes in the UK, USA and Asia – BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For advice and inspiration from the best creative minds in working in film, games and television, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.  

BAFTA Los Angeles serves as a bridge between the Hollywood and British production and entertainment business communities. Its commitment to professional and community education is at the heart of all activity, including an inner-city outreach programme, screenings, seminars, Behind Closed Doors series, Q&As, scholarships for British students studying in the US, and a Heritage Archive project, which preserves in-depth interviews with the industry's leading talents for future generations. BAFTA Los Angeles celebrates and promotes excellence through its annual Britannia Awards, Awards Season Film and Television Tea Parties and the Student Film Awards. www.bafta.org/losangeles

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About Jaguar

Jaguar is a premier manufacturer of luxury sedans, sports cars and SUVs offering unparalleled design with tremendous performance. The company's vision throughout its storied 80 year history has been simple: To produce beautiful, fast cars that are desired the world over. Jaguar strives to provide a world class ownership experience to every owner. Today's Jaguar lineup consists of the Jaguar XE and XF sports sedans, the XJ full-size luxury sedan, the two-seat F-TYPE sports car and a line of performance SUVs, the E-PACE and F-PACE. Jaguar designs, engineers and manufactures exclusively in the United Kingdom, at the Castle Bromwich and Solihull manufacturing plants in the British Midlands. Jaguar is fully engaged with sustainability initiatives and social concerns with continuous involvement in environmental and community programs.

About Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel-drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports sedan and sports car marques. The company employs over 40,000 people globally, with 330 in the U.S. and supports around 275,000 more through our dealerships, suppliers and local businesses. Manufacturing is centered in the UK, with additional plants in China, Brazil, India and Slovakia. At Jaguar Land Rover we are driven by a desire to create class-leading products that deliver great customer experiences. The largest investor in R&D in the UK manufacturing sector, we have invested £12 billion (USD$15.7 billion) in the last five years and in the current year alone will spend over £3.5 billion (USD$4.5 billion) on new product creation and capital expenditure. Last year Jaguar Land Rover sold over 583,000 vehicles in 136 countries, with nearly 80 percent of our vehicles produced in the UK being sold abroad.