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Stephen Graham to receive honour at Buckingham Palace today as he’s made OBE
He will be made an OBE for his services to drama
Stephen Graham will receive an honour at Buckingham Palace today, where he will be made an OBE.
The acclaimed Liverpudlian actor is among a list of celebrities receiving honours at the royal residence.
Graham, 49, is best known for starring in gritty and intense dramas, in particular the award-winning film This Is England and its later TV series. He will receive the honour for his services to drama.
When his award was announced in the New Year’s Honours list last year, Graham dedicated the OBE to his late mother, whom he revealed had died just days earlier.
He wrote on his Twitter page in December: “This incredible, inspirational, woman & the purest heart my mum passed away.
“Her words as a child, ‘no one is above you and no one is below you all are equal’, have remained with me throughout my life. I feel so honoured and proud to share this with her. An OBE for both of us, Mum.”
Graham has recently starred in Matilda the Musical, in which he plays Mr Wormwood — quite a change from his usual, grittier characters. He also received a BAFTA nomination last year for best leading actor for his role in the high-intensity drama Boiling Point.
Also receiving honours at Buckingham Palace are Verity Naylor, director of operations for the British Paralympic Association, and Georgina Harland, who was the first female chef de mission of the British Olympic Association for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
They will both be made MBEs alongside comedian Frank Skinner, for his services to entertainment.
Ms Harland said she was ‘incredibly proud and humbled to be awarded an MBE for services to Olympic Sport’. Adding: “Forever grateful to everyone that has influenced and been a part of my sporting career and the unwavering support from family, friends and colleagues.”