Bowie turned down a knighthood in It's not what I spent my life working for. Known for supporting various left-wing and humanitarian causes, she might have thought like many others that a knighthood would make her too much a part of the establishment. The artist, famous for paintings of the Lancashire industrial scene, turned down more honors from the Queen than any other individual — a total of five, including an OBE in , a CBE in and a knighthood in The Australian statesman turned down a knighthood in , when Australia was still a colony of Great Britain.
It seems that his refusal of a knighthood was due to a combination of humility he would turn down several honors and his preference for Australia becoming a republic, severing the last of its political links to the British Empire.
Australia continued to award knighthoods conferred by the Crown after winning independence from Britain, even though many saw them as a remnant of the colonial past. Though it has still not become a republic, Australia finally stopped awarding knighthoods in The actor and playwright, famous for playing a variety of rotund eccentrics, accepted an Order of the British Empire OBE in , but turned down a knighthood in The essayist and author Brave New World refused a knighthood in , only four years before his death.
Random fact: Huxley, C. Lewis and John F. Dench's father was the resident doctor for the Theatre Royal in York, and it wasn't uncommon for her to tag along during his visits there. Even as a young girl, Dench showed a passion for performance. She loved to dress up and sing as her mother played the piano. Her first foray onto the stage came with the York Mystery Plays, where Eleanora helped out with the wardrobes and her father did some acting himself.
Dench attended an all-girls Quaker school, then followed with a brief stop at the York School of Art before changing course and heading off to London's Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. The decision, Dench would later say, could be blamed on her brother, Jeffrey, another aspiring actor who also attended the school and pushed his sister to pursue stage work. Dench's innate talent and versatility were hard to ignore. Dench continued work with the Old Vic for another four years.
In , Dench joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, the start of a year run with that playhouse that would see the actress take on every leading female Shakespeare role. But Dench wasn't just content with Shakespeare or drama. In , she made her television debut in the series Hilda Lessways. She stretched herself even more by taking on comedic work, including stage productions of Oscar Wilde. In , she had a starring role as Sally Bowles in Cabaret.
The s brought Dench to the big screen, as well. Other strong performances in additional British movies followed. Coupled with her continued stage work, Dench's name only grew in stature in her native England.
Perhaps no one appreciated his knighthood more than the Gandhi actor. He had long had a tense relationship with his mother, and he felt the recognition made up for some of the love he never got from a maternal figure. Most recently, Smith has been known for doling out one-liners on Downton Abbey. But before she was a dowager countess, Smith's impressive career garnered her a damehood way back in Over the course of her career, Lansbury has won five Tony Awards.
But even with all of these accomplishments, it still took her until age 88 to receive Dame status. She was finally given the distinction in April Gates is famous for many things, but two of the most notable are his vast wealth and his never-ending generosity. To honor his charitable work, Gates joined the rare ranks of Americans who've been knighted in The U2 rocker was knighted in a Dublin-set ceremony in , but don't mistake him for a "Sir": His Irish heritage means the title is nothing more than honorary.
He was recognized for his work campaigning against poverty and disease in Africa. There have been 44 American presidents, but only three have received one of Great Britain's highest honors. Most recently, Bush and Reagan received the accolade after their terms were up. Dwight D.
Eisenhower was also knighted, but for his military leadership in World War II rather than his presidential efforts. The Queen utilizes her knighthood and damehood!
Most often, the latter is for their contributions to music, theater or film, especially in Britain.
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