Acclaimed British actor Ray Winstone, a fixture on the festival scene since Nil by Mouth in 1997 and Sexy Beast in 2000 brought him to the front ranks of festival popularity, has been presented with the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo at the National Theatre Sarajevo, in recognition of his remarkable acting career and exceptional contributions to the art of cinema. The ceremony concluded with a gala screening of the intense drama The Proposition directed by John Hillcoat.
One of the UK’s most prolific actors, Winstone has marked over forty years in the industry. From blockbusters to independent films, his extensive credits most recently include the Netflix film Damsel, British indie A Bit of Light, Marvel’s Black Widow and Working Title’s heist drama King of Thieves.
In December 2007, Ray received the Richard Harris Award for his outstanding contribution at the British Independent Film Awards, in recognition of his many iconic roles, from his debut in Alan Clarke’s 1979 drama Scum, to his starring roles in Franc Roddam’s Quadrophenia, Ken Loach’s Ladybird, Ladybird, and Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award-winning epic The Departed. Winstone is also known for taking the lead role in Gary Oldman’s gritty biographical drama, Nil By Mouth, for which he won a British Independent Film Award for Best Actor and earned a BAFTA Award nomination. Considered one of the finest performances of his career, Ray starred opposite Ben Kingsley in Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast.
His other film credits include Jawbone, Cold Mountain, The Gunman, King Arthur, The Proposition, Breaking & Entering, Beowulf, Snow White & the Huntsman, The Sweeney, Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Noah, 44 Inch Chest, Ripley’s Game, and Last Orders.
TV credits include BBC adaptation of Great Expectations, The Trials of Jimmy Rose, and Henry VIII – which went on to win Best Miniseries/TV Movie at the International Emmy Awards. For his eponymous role in ITV’s Vincent, Ray was awarded the International Emmy Award for Best Actor.
Ray will next be seen in the second series of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen, following its smash-hit first series for Netflix last year.
