Other honorees include actress Miriam Margolyes, studio head Lloyd Kaufman and the late American rockstar Eddie Cochran, who will be honored with a posthumous award
Ahead of kicking off its 34th edition in London tomorrow, the Raindance Film Festival has announced it will award Golden Globe-winning actor Brian Cox with a Raindance Icon Award.
The Scottish actor joins Miriam Margolyes and studio head Lloyd Kaufman as award recipients in this edition, with the late American musician Eddie Cochran also due to be honored with a posthumous award on the festival’s closing night ahead of the screening of Kirsty Bell’s “Eddie Cochran: Don’t Forget Me.”
Cox’s Raindance Icon Award will be presented by Oscar-nominated director Jim Sheridan, who directed the actor in the 1997 drama “The Boxer.” In the film, Cox starred alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Emily Watson, playing Joe Hamill, a high-ranking figure in the IRA. Cox’s decades-spanning career includes films such as “Rushmore,” “The Ring,” “Troy,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” and “Churchill.” The actor rose in success in the last few years thanks to his performance as Logan Roy in HBO’s hit show “Succession,” which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama Series.
The actor is also a stage veteran, having won two Best Actor Olivier Awards for “Titus Andronicus” for the Royal Shakespeare Company and “Rat in the Skull” for the Royal Court. He has written three books, plus his autobiography.
In a statement, Cox said that Raindance has “always been a powerful and pioneering influence in the creation of cinema over the last 30 years,” adding that the festival’s “standard of work has set an extremely high bar for the cinematic world.”
“It is indeed a great honor to receive this wonderful award,” he concluded.
Sheridan said Cox is a “good friend as well as a superb performer on stage and screen.” “I had the privilege to collaborate with Brian on ‘The Boxer.’ It is an honor for me to present this award to Brian.”
Raindance founder Elliot Grove praised Cox’s career, which “spans decades, genres and mediums: from cult-classic films to blockbuster franchises to award-winning television.”
“In ‘Manhunter,’ he was the first actor to portray Hannibal Lecter on screen,” added Grove. “His award-winning portrayal of ruthless media mogul Logan Roy in HBO’s ‘Succession’ is yet another iconic character. Raindance is honored to present Brian Cox with our Icon Award.”
The Raindance Icon Award is the festival’s signature award, honoring and celebrating the icons of independent cinema in the U.K. and internationally: those who make an authentic and iconic impression via the medium of film.
Previous Raindance Icon Award recipients include Celia Imrie, Jason Isaacs, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Winterbottom, David Yates, Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, Gemma Arterton, Michael Caine, Sally Hawkins, Jude Law, Olivia Colman, Terry Gilliam, Guy Richie and Ken Loach.
Posthumous Raindance Icon Awards have been presented to Joan Plowright (accepted by Tamsin Olivier, daughter of Joan Plowright and Lawrence Olivier) and Helen McCrory (accepted by Damian Lewis).
