BAFTA 2025: Who Is Warwick Davis? Winner Of BAFTA Fellowship And Great Philanthropist

The official BAFTA YouTube channel just released a video showing the ceremony for the BAFTA Fellowship where Warwick Davis gave quite the emotional speech. The full speech can be watched below.

During the speech, Davis started off by making a few jokes to lighten the mood, after which he expressed his deep gratitude towards the people that helped him get to where he is now. "Firstly, I'd like to say thank you to my mom. My very first agent, all those years ago, and the reason I'm here tonight. Quite literally." said Davis. "Also I'd like to thank my incredible team, my agent, and all the people who have supported me throughout my career. This award isn't just for me, it's for all of you."

Warwick Davis then shared a sentiment both very personal and emotional during his speech, as he dedicated the award to his late wife, Samantha Davis. "Above all though, I'd like to dedicate and thank my wonderful wife Sammy who died almost a year ago," spoke Davis. "She was also supportive of my career, and encouraged me to grab every opportunity with both hands. However, I soon noticed that her level of enthusiasm for me taking a particular role was also often relative to how much she wanted that new designer handbag," joked Davis to lighten the mood. "Since then, life has been pretty tough for me, but thanks to the support of our wonderful children, Annabelle and Harrison, I've been able to continue working and engaging in life."

While Davis technically made his debut in the acting industry when was as young as 11, as he took on the role of the ewok Wicket in the film 'Return Of The Jedi', his first role which involved showing his face on the screen came in 1988 with the movie 'Willow'. Since then, he has played numerous roles in popular films such as the Leprechaun franchise, the Harry Potter franchise, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and plenty more Stars Wars films that came in the future.

Warwick Davis was born with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a disorder affecting bone growth that caused his dwarfism. Rather than let his condition impede his work, he instead used his talents and efforts to support others in similar situations by founding companies such as the Willow Management talent agency and the Reduced Height Theatre Company, both of which work towards representing actors and talents under five feet.