Veteran British actress Vanessa Redgrave will receive an Academy Fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) later this month in honor of a career spanning six decades. BAFTA said the fellowship was its highest honor, and Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Elizabeth Taylor and Julie Christie are among the previous recipients. “I'm truly delighted, it's such an honor to be recognized in this way,” Redgrave, a member of the famous British acting dynasty, said in a statement. “Looking through the list of past recipients shows what a wonderful accolade this is, and the fact that Alfred Hitchcock was the very first recipient makes it even more special, as my father made his first film with him.” Vanessa Redgrave, 73, has been nominated for an Oscar six times and won once for her performance in “Julia.” She is also well known for her political activism and campaigned against the wars in Vietnam and Iraq. She will receive her fellowship on Feb. 21.
