Britain's Queen Elizabeth Thursday awarded the title of Commander of the British Empire to actor John Hurt for his services to drama.

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"The Queen insinuated that it was an interesting profession and that I'd been at it for some time. She said how fascinating it was," said the 64-year-old star of Elephant Man and Alien.

Hurt shot to fame in 1970s TV show The Naked Civil Servant, which he said was his favorite role, the BBC reported.

After The Naked Civil Servant, in which Hurt played flamboyant author Quentin Crisp, he went on to get Oscar nominations for Midnight Express and The Elephant Man, the report said.

Former BBC newsreader Angela Rippon picked up an Order of the British Empire award.

"The Queen asked me if it was true I was the first female newsreader to make a big impact," she said.