Gillian Anderson wins IFTA Pantene Best International Actress Award 2005

Irish audiences have crowned Gillian Anderson the Pantene Best International Actress for this year’s Irish Film & Television Awards. Anderson has been awarded the title by Irish fans for her recent performance in the Irish film ‘The Mighty Celt’. The Irish public voted by text and online for Anderson, who was chosen over Hollywood stars Natalie Portman, Drew Barrymore and Dakota Fanning.
Star of the sci-fi hit ‘The X-Files’, Gillian plays a single mother in The Mighty Celt who struggles to come to terms with the reappearance of an old flame and former on-the-run IRA man O, played by Robert Carlyle. Anderson is presently working alongside Brenda Blythen and John Hurt on the feature film ‘No One Gets Off In This Town’ and is currently starring in the BBC nineteenth century drama ‘Bleak House’.
Anderson was delighted to be honoured with the accolade: “Thank you very, very much for this award, thank you especially to the Irish public who apparently voted for me after they heard me speak with an Irish accent, so that’s a very good thing and thank you to everybody in the Irish film and television industry, I’m just really thrilled by this and I really appreciate it.”
The director of The Mighty Celt, Pearse Elliott, said: "I'm absolutely delighted to hear Gillian Anderson has won the People's Choice Award for Pantene Best International Actress at this year's IFTAs. It was a pleasure working with Gillian and the award is thoroughly deserved.”
A host of stars attended the prestigious ceremony on November 5, including ‘The OC’ star Mischa Barton, Oscar award winner Vanessa Redgrave, Irish director Neil Jordan, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack, Andrea Corr, Samantha Mumba, Bond star Colin Salmon and many more.
(GB)