Bond villain Jonathan Pryce awarded CBE

Jonathan Pryce has described his happiness at receiving a CBE from the Prince of Wales - repots the Press Association.

The versatile actor, equally at home on stage, screen or television, accepted the honour for services to drama.

After the Buckingham Palace investiture ceremony he said: "I'm very honoured and gratified to get the CBE - it's recognition of the importance of the theatre in Britain and how much it means to the people and economy."

The 62-year-old Welshman has played a megalomaniac media tycoon in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, starred in the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies and appeared alongside Madonna in the 1996 film of Evita.

In recent years he has concentrated on his theatre work and is due to appear in a London production of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker in the New Year.

After graduating from RADA the actor later joined Liverpool's Everyman Theatre Company where his colleagues were actresses like Alison Steadman and among the house playwrights were Willy Russell and Alan Bleasdale.

His first venture on to New York's Broadway brought success when his role in Comedians earned him a Tony award and three years later his performance as Hamlet at London's Royal Court Theatre won him an Olivier Award.

His movie breakthrough came in 1985 playing the hero Sam Lowry in Terry Gilliam's film Brazil and Pryce teamed up with the director again for the Adventures Of Baron Munchausen in 1988.

Other notable film parts include roles in Ronin (1998) and Stigmata (1999).

This year he starred as the US president in the Hollywood blockbuster GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

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