Chiwetel Ejiofor to be honoured with The Richard Harris Award at this year’s The Moët British Independent Film Awards.
The Richard Harris Award was introduced in 2002 in honour of Richard Harris and recognises outstanding contribution to British film by an actor. Previous winners have been John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Julie Walters and Emma Thompson in 2014.
Ejiofor has enjoyed an acting career that has spanned nearly two decades but he saw his star truly rocket after landing the role of Solomon Northup in the critically acclaimed 12 Years A Slave back in 2014. The movie was based on the memoir of the same name by Northup and saw Ejiofor team up with filmmaker Steve McQueen for the first time.The movie was met with critical acclaim and Ejiofor was nominated for his first Best Actor Oscar, losing out to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club.
2015 has been a busy year for the actor as we have seen him star in Z for Zachariah - which performed well on the festival circuit - and The Martian - which was a critical hit and a box office smash.
We will see Ejiofor back on the big screen next year with crime/drama Triple 9 and The Secret in Their Eyes. Triple 9 sees the actor as part of an ensemble cast and will star alongside Kate Winslet, Casey Affleck, Anthony Mackie and Aaron Paul. The Secret In Their Eyes sees him work with both Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman for the first time.
Ejiofor will be stepping into the world of the comic book movie next year as he is set to take on the role of Baron Mordo in Marvel’s Doctor Strange. This is to be the first new franchise of Phase 3 and sees fellow Brit and 12 Years A Slave co-star, Benedict Cumberbatch, take on the title role.
Scott Derrickson
