Director Christopher Nolan has been awarded the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III of England. The creator of "Interstellar," the "Dark Knight" trilogy, and "Oppenheimer" received this honor for his contributions to cinema. His wife, producer Emma Thomas, was conferred the title of Dame Commander. The award ceremony took place on December 18 at Buckingham Palace.
“The couple was recognized for their outstanding contributions to film. Their partnership has resulted in major blockbusters such as the "Dark Knight" trilogy and "Oppenheimer,"” stated a message on the Buckingham Palace Instagram page.
— The King mentioned that he watched "Oppenheimer" and enjoyed it. It was very nice to know that he is familiar with our work and our films. And yes, he hoped that I would take this as motivation to create even more films,” Christopher Nolan shared about his conversation with the King in an interview with DailyMail.
Sir Christopher Edward Nolan is a British-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer. He is one of the highest-grossing directors in history, as well as one of the most renowned and influential filmmakers. He made his directorial debut with the film "Following" (1998). In 2000, Nolan directed his second film, "Memento," for which he received numerous nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. The recognition garnered from independent films allowed Nolan to create the high-budget thriller "Insomnia" (2002) and the mystical drama "The Prestige" (2006). He gained popularity with audiences and critical acclaim for works such as the "Dark Knight" trilogy (2005–2012); "Inception" (2010); "Interstellar" (2014); and "Dunkirk" (2017), which earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Director. In 2023, "Oppenheimer" was released, winning 7 Academy Awards.
Nolan's ten films have grossed over $6.7 billion worldwide and have received a total of 28 Academy Award nominations, winning eight of them. Nolan has co-written scripts for several films with his younger brother Jonathan and his wife Emma Thomas.
Since 2019, Nolan has held the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire.