Helen Mirren: AARP Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Winner
The Queen of Hollywood will be honored at February awards show
Giles Keyte
Helen Mirren, 72, says she considers film to be a high art form, that informs, inspires and entertains.
Helen Mirren will receive the annual AARP Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award in February, joining a prestigious list of Hollywood figures honored by AARP The Magazine for lifelong commitment to films aimed at grownup audiences. "One of the world’s most beloved actresses, Helen Mirren continues to dazzle audiences year after year with remarkable performances,” said Myrna Blyth, senior vice president and editorial director for AARP Media.
Mirren's award, announced today, caps a five-decade acting career that began on the stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her notable work in film includes The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; The Madness of King George; Teaching Mrs. Tingle; Gosford Park; The Last Station; Hitchcock; and the action-comedies RED and RED 2.
“I am greatly honored by this award. I consider film to be a high art form that informs, inspires and entertains. It is the ultimate mirror up to nature. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of that culture, both as performer and audience,” said Mirren, who will next be seen with Donald Sutherland in The Leisure Seeker, opening Jan. 19.
Miramax/Everett Collection
Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II and Sylvia Syms as The Queen Mother in the 2006 film "The Queen."
An Academy and Golden Globe Best Actress Award winner for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in the movie The Queen, Mirren has been recognized with numerous awards worldwide. Two of her four Primetime Emmy awards were for her breakout role as Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison on the popular British television series Prime Suspect. Also among Mirren’s many distinctions are four Movies for Grownups awards, five BAFTA awards, a Tony award and an Olivier award. In 2003, she was appointed a dame commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth.
"Ms. Mirren’s body of work, woven through film, television and stage, is a benchmark of artistic achievement," said AARP's Blyth.
Mirren joins previous notable AARP Movies for Grownups Career Achievement honorees including Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Sharon Stone, Robert Redford and Robert De Niro. The awards show will be broadcast for the first time, coproduced by the Great Performances series and premiering Friday, Feb. 23, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org and PBS apps. “In keeping with our long history of showcasing the performing arts on public television, the Movies for Grownups Awards provides a welcome opportunity to recognize outstanding achievement in contemporary cinema,” said David Horn, executive producer of Great Performances.