Christopher Nolan, Wife Emma Thomas To Get British Knighthood And Damehood After Oppenheimer Success

British filmmaker Christopher Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas will receive a knighthood and damehood for their services to film, as per a statement from the UK government. Their recognition comes after their biopic Oppenheimer swept the 2024 awards season. Also, Nolan won his first Oscar for directing the movie about the “father of the atomic bomb”, which starred Irish actor Cillian Murphy in the titular role.

Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas to receive knighthood and damehood 

The recognition comes in after the global success of Oppenheimer. However, the news of these honours was a bit of a surprise because they are usually handed out twice in the year, once to mark the new year and then on the birthday of King Charles III, who confers the honours. They are sometimes awarded after special achievements, often related to sports and the arts.

The honours are formally awarded at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. 

Born in London to a British father and American mother, Nolan met his future wife, Thomas, 53, while they both attended University College London. They have four children and run a production company, Syncopy, which has been behind many of their blockbusters.

More about Oppenheimer 

Christopher Nolan won two Oscars this year as the director and producer of Oppenheimer. The movie clashed with Barbie in theaters and created history by collecting close to one billion dollars at the worldwide box office. R-rated biographical drama Oppenheimer dominated the 96th edition of the Oscars, winning seven awards out of 13 nominations including top honours of best picture and director for Christopher Nolan, his first. It was also a night of firsts for other members of the Oppenheimer team with Cillian Murphy (best actor), Robert Downey Jr (best supporting actor), Hoyte van Hoytema (best cinematography), and Jennifer Lame (best film editing) bagging their maiden Oscars. 

With inputs from AP