The Oscars may reign supreme when it comes to Hollywood, but across the Atlantic Ocean, the BAFTAs are award season's hottest ticket. It's the only award show that combines Hollywood royalty with actual royalty [1], and the British Academy's star-studded night often predicts future Oscar winners. In 2001, the ceremony moved from May to February, and now many BAFTA winners [2] end up picking up Academy Awards a few weeks later. Since 1949, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has celebrated the best British and international contributions to film, and over the years there have been some very memorable moments. Alan Rickman [3] joked, "This will be a reminder to me that subtlety isn't everything," as he accepted his award for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1995. In 2002, an unexpected downpour (we say unexpected, it was February in London . . .) caused detergents in the red carpet to foam up, turning the walk to the venue into a bubbly assault course. A year earlier, a 14-year-old Jamie Bell beat Russell Crowe [4], Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks [5], and Geoffrey Rush to the best actor award, joking, "Russell Crowe said that I have to thank him." And who can forget Leonardo DiCaprio giving Dame Maggie Smith a kiss in 2016 [6]?
As we prepare for the next star-studded BAFTA ceremony on Feb. 10, take a look back at some of the most gorgeous photos from the past.
Angelina Jolie, 2018
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 2018
Daniel Kaluuya, 2018
Rebecca Ferguson, 2018
Lily James, 2018
Lupita Nyong'o and Sam Rockwell, 2018
Jennifer Lawrence, 2018
Dev Patel, 2017
The Duchess of Cambridge, 2017
Penelope Cruz, 2017
Tom Holland, 2017
Ol Parker and Thandie Newton, 2017
Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel, 2017
Emily Blunt, 2017
Emma Stone, 2017
Matt Smith, 2016
Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, 2016
Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender, 2016
Bryan Cranston, 2016
Domhnall Gleeson and Carrie Fisher, 2016
David Beckham, Felicity Jones, and Eddie Redmayne, 2015
Alice Eve and John Boyega, 2015
Eddie Redmayne, 2015
Barkhad Abdi and Emma Thompson, 2014
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 2014
Will Poulter, 2014
Oprah Winfrey, 2014
Cate Blanchett and Tom Hardy, 2014
Helen Mirren, 2013
Marion Cotillard, 2013
Helen McCrory and Damian Lewis, 2013
Chris Hemsworth and Hayley Atwell, 2012
Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, 2012
Christina Hendricks and Adam Deacon, 2012
Meryl Streep, 2012
Helena Bonham Carter and James McAvoy, 2011
Emma Watson and JK Rowling, 2011
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 2011
Colin Firth, 2011
Romola Garai, 2010
Nicholas Hoult and Colin Firth, 2010
Carey Mulligan, 2010
Shia LaBoeuf, 2009
Dev Patel and Freida Pinto, 2009
Sharon Stone, 2009
Eddie Redmayne, 2009
Kristen Stewart, 2009
Kate Winslet, 2009
Penelope Cruz, 2009
Emma Watson, 2009
Amy Adams, 2009
Kate Winslet, 2009
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, 2009
Robert Downey Jr and Susan Downey, 2009
Freddie Highmore, 2008
Daniel Day Lewis, 2008
Jeff Goldblum, 2008
Kate Hudson, 2008
Tilda Swinton and Sir Anthony Hopkins, 2008
Jessica Biel, 2008
Daniel Day Lewis, Marion Cotillard and Sir Anthony Hopkins, 2008
Keira Knightley, 2008
Sienna Miller, 2008
Helen Mirren, 2007
Eva Green, 2007
2006 BAFTA Award Winners
William H Macy and Felicity Huffman, 2006
Diane Kruger, 2006
Philip Seymour Hoffman, 2006
Leonardo DiCaprio, 2005
Mischa Barton and Emma Watson, 2005
Cate Blanchett, 2005
Sienna Miller, 2005
Scarlett Johansson, 2004
Emma Thompson, 2004
Renee Zellweger, 2004
Laura Linney, 2004
Sir Ian McKellen and Jude Law, 2004
Ol Parker and Thandie Newton, 2004
Thandie Newton, 2003
Angelina Jolie, 2003
Halle Berry, 2003
Catherine Zeta Jones, 2003
Nicole Kidman, 2003
Nicole Kidman, 2002
Jennifer Connelly, 2002
Russell Crowe, 2002
Renee Zellweger, 2002
Rachel Weisz, 2001
Pierce Brosnan, 1999
Alex Kingston and Ralph Fiennes, 1999
Alicia Silverstone, 1999
Gwyneth Paltrow, 1999
Julia Roberts, 1998
Julianne Moore, 1997
Kate Winslet, 1996
Emma Thompson, 1996
Christopher Reeve and Gae Exton, 1979
Prince Edward and Martin Scorsese, 1993
Sir Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, 1995
Jodie Foster, 1992
Princess Anne and Francesca Annis, 1979
Sir Alfred Hitchcock, 1971
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, 1967
Elizabeth Taylor was also awarded with her Oscar for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf during the BAFTA ceremony.
Rachel Roberts, Audrey Hepburn, and Dirk Bogarde, 1964
Alec Guinness and Katie Johnson, 1956
