British actress Emma Thompson has been made a Dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. The 59-year-old star – who is the only person to have won Academy Awards for both acting and writing – is widely regarded as one of the UK’s most talented performers, and her illustrious career has led to her being given the coveted individual accolade by Queen Elizabeth.

Thompson won the first of her two Academy Awards back in 1992 for her starring role in the romantic drama movie ‘Howards End’ and she has since appeared in a host of hits, including the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, ‘Love Actually’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The Cambridge University-educated actress – who has been outspoken on human rights and environmental issues during her career – has also penned two books from ‘The Tale of Peter Rabbit’.

Other big name stars from the entertainment world who have also been recognised in the Birthday Honours list include actor Tom Hardy and actress Keira Knightley, who have been awarded a CBE and an OBE respectively. The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star’s award is, in part, a recognition of her charitable efforts during her career, which has included lending her support to a campaign that raised awareness of the global refugee crisis in 2016. Elsewhere, London-born rap star Ms. Dynamite – whose real name is Niomi McLean-Daley – has been handed an MBE for her services to music, while Kanya King – the founder of the Mobo Awards – has been given a CBE for services to music and culture.

Meanwhile, the Japanese-born, Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro – whose works include ‘The Remains of the Day’, the movie adaptation of which starred Thompson – has been awarded a knighthood by the Queen.