Dame Helen Mirren has earned the title of “2014 Woman of the Year” as presented by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Per the theatrical organization’s official announcement, the title is given to “performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.” Previous winners have included Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Elizabeth Taylor, Claire Danes, and Marion Cotillard.
“How very saucy of the Hasty Pudding organization to offer me their award,” said Dame Helen Mirren. “As someone who adores Pudding in all its manifestations… Suet, Christmas, Treacle, Bread and Butter, Yorkshire, Plum, Figgy, etc., etc., I am so looking forward to the famous Hasty Pudding.”
“It gives us great pleasure to bestow Ms. Mirren with our prestigious Woman of the Year Award recognizing her significant contributions to entertainment,” stated Tony Oblen, 2014 President of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. “We look forward to welcoming Ms. Mirren and celebrating and honoring her achievements in a truly unique and memorable way.”
Oscar-winner Mirren will be presented with the award on January 30, 2014. First, she’ll lead a parade through the Cambridge streets and then there will be a toast made in her honor. At 4pm, the award ceremony in which she’ll receive the iconic Pudding Pot will take place at Farkas Hall in Harvard Square.
A Brief Biography of Helen Mirren [Courtesy of The Hasty Pudding Theatricals]:
Helen Mirren has won international recognition for her work on stage, screen and television. For her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 of The Queen, she received an Academy Award®, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award®, and BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
In 2013, she again met critical acclaim for reprising her role of Queen Elizabeth II, this time in Peter Morgan’s play The Audience. For her performance, she was awarded the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress, the highest honor in British theatre.
Mirren will be seen starring in the upcoming Walt Disney Studios’ film The Hundred-Foot Journey. Her recent projects include HBO’s 2013 biopic Phil Spector, a role for which she received Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations; Summit’s action sequel Red 2, and Disney’s animated sequel Monsters University. In 2012, Mirren starred in Sacha Gervasi’s Hitchcock, a role for which she received Best Actress nominations from the Golden Globes, SAG, and BAFTA.
Her film career began with Michael Powell’s Age of Consent, but her breakthrough film role came in 1980 in John Mackenzie’s The Long Good Friday. Mirren earned her first Oscar® nomination for The Madness of King George for which she also won Best Actress honors at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival. Her second Oscar® nomination came for her work in Robert Altman’s 2001 film Gosford Park. Mirren earned both Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations for her performance in The Last Station, playing Sofya Tolstoy.
Mirren has worked extensively in the theatre in many varied and challenging roles over the years. She has received two Tony Award nominations, for her work in A Month in the Country, and for her role opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Dance of Death. She also received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in Mourning Becomes Electra at London’s National Theatre. In 2009, Mirren returned to the National Theatre in the title role in Phèdre, directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner.
On television, Mirren starred in the award-winning series Prime Suspect and earned an Emmy Award and three BAFTA Awards, as well as numerous award nominations. She won another Emmy Award and earned a Golden Globe nomination when she reprised the role of Detective Jane Tennison in 2006’s Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act, the last installment in the PBS series. Mirren was also honored for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I in the HBO miniseries Elizabeth I, winning an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award®.
Helen Mirren became a Dame of the British Empire in 2003.
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