The Rose d’Or is pleased to announce that the Performance of the Year Award 2019, given to a television star who has made an outstanding contribution in the past 12 months, will be given to Ricky Gervais for his ground-breaking performance as Tony in After Life, the Netflix series which he also writes and directs.
The award will be made to Ricky in person in London on Sunday December 1st at a gala event, to be hosted by Sir Lenny Henry.
In After Life, Tony has lost his wife and is trying to punish the world one savage put-down at a time. He thinks of it as a superpower, not caring about himself or anybody else, but it ends up being trickier than he imagines, as his friends and family try to save the nice guy that they used to know.
Sofia Helin, Chair of the Rose d’Or Jury says: ‘After Life’s first season moves between dark comedy and affecting drama, Ricky gives a stand-out performance, bringing a new dimension to his talent.’
Having enjoyed huge critical success for the outstanding first series of After Life, which was released on Netflix in March 2019, Ricky has since written and finished filming on a second series, which sees the return of Penelope Wilton, Tom Basden, Kerry Godliman, Joe Wilkinson, Mandeep Dhillon, Diane Morgan & many others from series 1’s stellar cast of comedy actors. Currently in the edit, series two of After Life will land on Netflix in 2020.
Ricky’s amazing run of innovative comedies began in 2001 with The Office, a send-up of the contemporary workplace for the BBC. It was a popular and critical success, winning BAFTA and British Comedy Awards, as well as two Golden Globes. Gervais went on to portray a struggling actor in Extras (2005–07), with his performance winning him an Emmy Award in 2007 for best actor in a comedy series. In Derek (2012–14), he created another challenging comedy character and situation for himself, as a carer at a nursing home.
Alongside his TV work, Gervais has appeared in many films. In Ghost Town (2008), he starred as a man who emerges from a near-death experience with an ability to see ghosts. Gervais co-wrote and co-directed The Invention of Lying (2009). His other film credits include Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014) and David Brent: Life On The Road (2016).
The Rose d’Or awards were first given in 1961 in Montreux where the annual award ceremony remained for 40 years. Berlin has been home to the Rose d’Or for the past three years. The prestigious Rose d’Or Awards define the gold standard for excellence and achievement in entertainment programming.
For more information on Rose d’Or and to book a ticket to the Gala Award Show on December 1 CLICK HERE.