The British Academy of Film and Television Arts have announced that it is to honour actor, producer and director Andy Serkis with the Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award at the 73rd EE British Academy Film Awards.
One of BAFTA’s highest honours, the award is presented annually in honour of legendary film producer Michael Balcon, with previous recipients including the likes of Ridley and Tony Scott, John Hurt, the Harry Potter series of films, Film4 Productions, Working Title Films, BBC Films and The National Film and Television School.
A pioneer in the field of performance capture, Serkis’ roles include Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, Caesar in The Planet of the Apes, and Supreme Leader Snoke in Star Wars. His other acting credits include Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, The Adventures of Tintin, Burke and Hare and Wild Bill.
Serkis has also recently moved into directing, making his feature debut with 2017’s Breathe and following that up with Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle. He is currently directing Sony’s superhero sequel Venom 2, and is also portraying the character of Alfred Pennyworth in Matt Reeves’ The Batman.
The 2020 EE British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday, February 2nd. You can find the full list of nominations here.
