Ewan McGregor Toronto Film Festival - P 2012
Getty ImagesLONDON — Actor Ewan McGregor, singer Kate Bush and fashion designer Stella McCartney are among the high-profile names from the world of entertainment to feature on Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year Honors list, published Saturday.
The list contains many athletes who won medals at the London 2012 Summer Olympics. But one name missing from the list is director Danny Boyle, whose artistic vision brought the world the Olympics opening ceremony. Boyle is believed to have turned down his honor.
When asked in a recent BBC radio interview if he would like to become a “sir,” Boyle said: “I’m very proud to be an equal citizen, and I think that’s what the opening ceremony was actually about.”
McGregor, who stars in awards’ season hopeful The Impossible, and McCartney received two of the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) honors on the list.
Bush, who scored a chart hit with her album 50 Words For Snow, was awarded the title of a Commander of the British Empire, or CBE. The same honor was bestowed on former Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips for her services to dance and to charity.
Also honored is illustrator Quentin Blake, known for his drawings for Roald Dahl‘s work. Blake picked up a knighthood, one of the highest male accolades, for his work.
Comedy writer Jeremy Lloyd, 82, who co-wrote such TV shows as the BBC’s Are You Being Served. is among the other OBEs.
But this year’s honors list is dominated by British medal winners from the London 2012 Summer OIympics with a a special list drawn up to recognize 78 athletes from both the Olympics and the Paralympics.
Cyclist Bradley Wiggins, who won the Tour de France and an Olympic gold, was awarded knighthood. Wiggins told the BBC he “never ever imagined” that he “would ever become a knight so it’s an incredible honor. But there’s a slight element of disbelief and it will take a while to sink in.”
Rower Katherine Grainger, cyclist Victoria Pendleton, trach-and-field star Jessica Ennis and distance runner Mo Farah become CBEs, while tennis star Andy Murray, who won Olympic Gold and the U.S. Open tennis championshipis, is made an OBE.
Paralympic cyclist Sarah Storey becomes a dame after winning four golds, while the most decorated sailor in Olympic history, Ben Ainslie, will be knighted.
Sebastian Coe, the former long-distance runner who helped organize the Olympics, becomes a Companion of Honor, a special honor given for service of “conspicuous national importance.”
The U.K. government cabinet office said an unprecedented number of athletes had received honors, with 123 awards compared to 44 in the last list. Of these, 78 were related to the Olympics or Paralympics.
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