Oscar nominated Islington born actress Emily Watson is set to receive an OBE from the Queen.

Watson, who was nominated for best actress at the famous awards with her first film Breaking The Waves, got her first big break when she joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the early 1990s.

But it is her film career that has seen her become a household name, starring in movies such as Hilary and Jackie – for which she received her second Oscar nomination – and silence of the lambs prequel Red Dragon.

She has appeared in films as diverse as Angela’s Ashes, Gosford Park and Warhorse and was critically acclaimed for her role in ITV’s Appropriate Adult.Describing the moment Watson, 47, said: “Telling my dad was the best bit. Honoured and delighted. And slightly weirded out that someone somewhere in Whitehall has been watching my work. Guess it means I’m really a grown up. Damn.”

The award will be given to the actress for her services to drama.