Helen Mirren, the 68-year-old Academy Award-winning actress, has been named Harvard's Hasting Pudding Woman of the Year 2014.
"How very saucy of the Hasty Pudding organisation to offer me their award," Mirren said in a statement. "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.''
Mirren will be honored with a parade through the streets of Cambridge, followed by a celebratory roast at Harvard on Jan. 30. At around 4:00 p.m., she will be presented with the pudding pot.
"It gives us great pleasure to bestow Ms. Mirren with our prestigious Woman of the Year award recognizing her significant contributions to entertainment," said Tony Oblen '14, president of Hasty Pudding Theatricals. "We look forward to welcoming Ms. Mirren and celebrating and honoring her achievements in a truly unique and memorable way."
The Hasty Pudding Theatricals is the nation's oldest undergraduate drama company, dating back to the late 18th century. Its annual 'Woman of the Year' award is bestowed upon performers for their extraordinary commitment and contribution to the entertainment industry.
Previous recipients of the Hasty Pudding award includes Marion Cotillard, Kiefer Sutherland, Meryl Streep, Katharine Hepburn, Julia Roberts, Jodie Foster, Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes, Elizabeth Taylor, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery and Robert DeNiro.
This year, Mirren is being honored for her work on stage, screen and television.
Mirren won the 2007 best-actress Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in 'The Queen.' The same role also got her a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
She has received academy nominations on three other occasions and was also named Dame of the British Empire in 2003.
Some of her notable films include 'The Long Good Friday,' 'Gosford Park' and 'The Madness of King George.'
In 2013, Mirren's performance in Peter Morgan's play 'The Audience,' earned her the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress, the highest honor in British theater. Last year, audience also loved her in HBO's 2013 biopic "Phil Spector," for which she received Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nominations.
