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Emma Thompson Dedicates Acting Award To Tragic Pal Alan Rickman

She may have been picking up a gong for a comedy film, but Emma Thompson used the occasion to pay tribute to her cancer victim friend Alan Rickman.

The 56-year-old picked up the Award For Comedy for The Legend Of Barney Thomson at the Evening Standard British Film Award ceremony, and talked of her “dearest” pal who died last month from pancreatic cancer aged 69.

Emma said about the actor when she accepted her prize from actor Stanley Tucci: “I’d like to commit this moment in time to dearest Alan Rickman who many of us are dearly missing tonight. It’s so depressing but there it is, it does happen.”

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Emma, above, dedicating her gong to Die Hard actor Alan Rickman

London-born Emma joked about Alan – famed for playing villains including Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves – “He did say I’d always end up looking like my mother, and he was right.”

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Plum-voiced Alan in prime villainous mode as Die Hard thief Hans Gruber

Elsewhere at the ceremony, hosted by Simon Amstell, Idris Elba beat off competition from Michael Fassbender and Tom Courtenay to scoop the Best Actor accolade for his performance in Beasts Of No Nation and was stunned by his win.

Dame Maggie Smith picked up the Best Actress prize for her role in The Lady in the Van, Game Of Thrones actress Maisie Williams, 18, won the Rising Star award, Brooklyn was named Best Film and Star Wars: The Force Awakens won the Glass Award for Blockbuster Of The Year.