Dame Donna Langley, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, has been awarded the BAFTA Fellowship, the organisation's highest honour, during the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in London. She became the first British woman to run a major Hollywood studio. Prince William presented the prize, praising her “tireless” advocacy for British storytelling and her role in championing films that have “shaped culture.”
In her acceptance speech, Langley acknowledged the industry's current challenges: “We are facing moments of change and disruption today. My hope is that those of us who help tell stories for a living continue to find inspiration to make popular art that carries over into people’s everyday lives.” She urged the audience to remember that “the future of this business is not something that happens to us. It’s something we shape…by the risks we take and the people we back.”
A video reel featured messages from leading filmmakers. Steven Spielberg described Langley as “a peacemaker and she’s a dealmaker, a creative rights advocate, and she’s always on the forward fringe of new business, new technology, new ideas.” Christopher Nolan added: “It’s hard to think of a more deserving recipient of a BAFTA Fellowship than Dame Donna Langley. She’s been leading Universal with a very unique blend of filmmaker friendly creative insights with true leadership that commands respect.”
BAFTA recognised Langley's “transformative leadership in the face of rapid change and disruption” at NBCUniversal, highlighting her work on films such as Oppenheimer, Bridget Jones, and Straight Outta Compton. Previous BAFTA fellows include Dame Helen Mirren, Sidney Poitier, Mel Brooks, Sir Ridley Scott, Thelma Schoonmaker, Kathleen Kennedy, and Ang Lee; last year's recipient was Warwick Davis.
