Kenneth Branagh, with his award from the Queen after his knighting (Getty Images)

The British actor and director Kenneth Branagh, who last year turned in an Oscar-nominated performance in My Week With Marilyn as Sir Laurence Olivier, won't have to just play titled nobility on film anymore. He's been knighted by Queen Elizabeth at a ceremony just before the weekend. His Hamlet co-star Kate Winslet has received an honor, as well, named a Commander of the British Empire, while Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton has been named an Officer. (Neither of them are Dames yet.)

Mr. Branagh is keeping up the tradition of past Sirs like Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley with a catholic attitude towards future work; the Thor director is currently hard at work on the next Tom Clancy film adaptation.