She joins previously announced host Jack Whitehall, as well as honorees Dick Van Dyke, who will receive the Britannia Award for Excellence in Television, and Ava DuVernay, who will receive the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing presented by The GREAT Britain Campaign.
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.
“Claire is the perfect encapsulation of the enduring legacy of British talent succeeding on a global stage. Her performances this year have been nothing short of phenomenal, including of course her iconic role in The Crown portraying the longest ever serving British monarch in history,” said BAFTA Los Angeles Chairman Kieran Breen. “BAFTA is committed to celebrating extraordinary British talents on a global platform, and we could not think of a more deserving and timely honoree for the British Artist of the Year Award.”
The British Artist of the Year presented by Burberry pays tribute to a talented British artist whose outstanding performances in a year have demonstrated the high quality of their craftsmanship. Whether an emerging talent, or an established name, the British Artist of the Year presented by Burberry honors a person who represents the best of British talent. Prior recipients include Felicity Jones, James Corden, Emma Watson, Daniel Craig, Kate Winslet, Tilda Swinton, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Blunt, Michael Sheen, and Rachel Weisz.
Burberry has a long-standing history of supporting and celebrating creative talent – from film and fashion to music and theatre, through a series of global events and initiatives including BAFTA Breakthrough Brits, Burberry Acoustic, runway shows, brand events and the support of emerging talent awards.
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.
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.
With a diverse and exceptional range of work across television, film and theatre, Claire Foy is one of the UK’s most respected actresses. She was most recently seen in the much coveted role of Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s critically acclaimed series about Britain’s Royal Family, THE CROWN. Her performance won her a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, along with a BAFTA TV nomination. Other cast members include Matt Smith, John Lithgow, Eileen Atkins, Jared Harris, Greg Wise and Vanessa Kirby. The second series will be released later this year.
In October, Claire will be seen in BREATHE alongside Andrew Garfield, directed by Andy Serkis and written by William Nicholson.
Claire will shortly begin work on her next project FIRST MAN, where she stars alongside Ryan Gosling and Kyle Chandler as ‘Janet Shearon’, the ex-wife of Neil Armstrong. The film will be directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land) and is slated for release in November 2018.
Claire was seen as ‘Anne Boleyn’ in 2015’s WOLF HALL, for which she was nominated in the Leading Actress category for the BAFTA TV Awards. The critically acclaimed six-part series also starred Mark Rylance as ‘Thomas Cromwell’ and Damian Lewis as ‘Henry VIII’.
Claire’s other television credits include: CROSSBONES, LITTLE DORRIT (earning her a nomination for ‘Best Actress’ at the 2009 RTS Television Awards), WHITE HEAT, UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS, THE PROMISE, THE NIGHT WATCH, GOING POSTAL. Claire’s other film credits include: ROSEWATER and SEASON OF THE WITCH.
Claire’s theatre projects include: MACBETH, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, DING, DONG THE WICKED and DNA/ THE MIRACLE/ BABY GIRL.
For further information:
Elyse Weissman at SLATE PR
T (310) 461-0114
E [email protected]
