Helen Mirren to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Golden Globes

Tony Award-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren has been named the 2026 Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree from the Golden Globes.  As previously announced, the award will be presented on the new annual primetime special “Golden Eve,” honoring recipients of the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award and Carol Burnett Award, airing on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+.  

“Helen Mirren is a force of nature and her career is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Helen Hoehne, President, Golden Globes. “Her transcendent performances and commitment to her craft continue to inspire generations of artists and audiences alike. It is a profound honor to present her with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.” 

With a career spanning more than six decades, Helen Mirren's body of work has taken the performer across stage, film and television. Her portrayals of iconic figures include her Golden Globe-winning performances as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, as well as “Elizabeth I” and “Losing Chase."  The Oscar, Emmy, SAG, BAFTA, and Tony Award-winning actress was appointed a Dame of the British Empire in 2003 in recognition of her artistic achievements.  

“Golden Eve” will air as a marquee event during Golden Week, a new week-long experience across Paramount platforms as well as celebratory kick-off events ahead of the 83rd Annual Golden Globes®, the first major award show of the season, airing live Sunday, January 11, 2026 and hosted by acclaimed Golden Globe, GRAMMY® and Emmy®-nominated comedian and actress Nikki Glaser.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural Golden Gala honoring Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient Viola Davis and Carol Burnett Award recipient Ted Danson, the 2026 edition evolves into “Golden Eve,” offering viewers an unprecedented insider’s look at the honorees' legacy, personal stories, and unforgettable Golden Globes moments. The exclusive special will feature curated career retrospectives, never-before-seen footage, and in-depth conversations with the honorees. 

First created in 1952 and honoring the eponymous director, the Cecil B. DeMille Award has been bestowed on 69 honorees drawn from Hollywood’s greatest and most iconic talents, including Walt Disney, Audrey Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey. The Carol Burnett Award, created in 2019 and initially awarded to its namesake, is presented to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to television on or off screen. The recipient is selected based on their body of work and the lasting impact of their television career achievements on both the industry and audiences. 

The Golden Globes, “Hollywood’s Party of the Year®,” is the largest awards show in the world to celebrate the best of film, television, and now podcasting. Dick Clark Productions will plan, host and produce the annual Golden Globes, which has been viewed in more than 185 countries and territories worldwide.

About Helen Mirren 

HELEN MIRREN has won an Oscar®, Emmy, SAG Award, Tony, multiple BAFTA Awards and Golden Globes®, as international recognition for her work on stage, screen and television. For her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 of “The Queen,” she received an Academy Award®, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, and BAFTA Award for Best Actress. She was also named Best Actress by virtually every critic’s organization from Los Angeles to London. 

Mirren began her career in the role of Cleopatra at the National Youth Theatre. She then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, where she starred in such productions as “Troilus and Cressida” and “Macbeth.”  In 1972, she joined renowned director Peter Brook’s theatre company and toured the world.

Her film career began with Michael Powell’s “Age of Consent,” but her breakthrough film role came in 1980 in John Mackenzie’s “The Long Good Friday.”  Over the next 10 years, she starred in a wide range of acclaimed films, including John Boorman’s “Excalibur,” Neil Jordan’s Irish thriller “Cal,” for which she won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and an Evening Standard Film Award; Peter Weir’s “The Mosquito Coast,” Peter Greenaway’s “The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover,” and Charles Sturridge’s “Where Angels Fear to Tread.”

On stage, Mirren reprised her role as Queen Elizabeth II on Broadway in The Audience, a play by Peter Morgan, directed by Stephen Daldry, for which she won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. In 2013 she debuted her stage role of Elizabeth II in The Audience in London’s West End, for which she received the Olivier Award and Evening Standard Award, and 2014 WhatsOnStage Award, for Best Actress.

Previously, Mirren had worked extensively in the theatre.  She received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance in “Mourning Becomes Electra” at London’s National Theatre.  In 2009, Mirren returned to the National Theatre to star in the title role in “Phèdre,” directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner. Helen Mirren was made a Dame of the British Empire in 2003.

Photo Credit: Maarten De Boer