The actor received the BAFTA’s highest honour
Warwick Davis broke down in tears as he accepted a lifetime achievement award at the BAFTAs, which he dedicated to his wife.
The Fellowship award, which is the highest honour, has previously gone to cinematic legends such as Maggie Smith, Mike Leigh, Martin Scorsese and Sir Sidney Poitier.
The Harry Potter and Willow star was given the honour for his career, as well as making the film industry more inclusive.
“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’ve been in Star Wars,” he joked as he took to the stage to accept the award.
He went on to admit that “life has been pretty tough” since his wife Samantha passed away last year.
“I’d like to dedicate and thank my wonderful wife Sammy, who died almost a year ago,” Davis said.
“She was always so supportive of my career, encouraging me to grab every opportunity with both hands, however, I soon noticed her level of enthusiasm for me taking a particular role was often relative to how much she wanted that new designer handbag.
“Since then life has been pretty tough for me, but thanks to the support of our wonderful children Annabelle and Harrison, I’ve been able to continue working and engaging in life.”
“A special mention too should go to Sponge, you know who you are, thank you for showing me that life can still have meaning and helping me to laugh and to love again,” he continued.
“And one final thought, anyone out there dreaming of telling your story, go for it, the world needs your vision.”
Davis’ late wife died aged 53 last April. The pair met on the set of Willow, and went on to have three children together.
“Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family. I miss her hugs,” he told the BBC in a statement at the time.
He went on to describe ‘Sammy’ as his “most trusted confidant and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career’.
“She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life she had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes.”
Davis also credited her for many of the successes of his career, saying: “Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3.”
