Honorary Graduates 2015

Mark Addy - Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

Mark Addy is a York-born film and television actor. He began his career on stage, performing at the York Theatre Royal and Hull Truck Theatre. Mark established his name in Hollywood in films such as The Full Monty, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Jack Frost, Down to Earth and A Knight’s Tale. On TV he found fame as Detective Constable Gary Boyle in the sitcom The Thin Blue Line. He also played King Robert Baratheon in the award-winning series Game of Thrones.

Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea - Doctor of Business Administration (honoris causa)

Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea is an Indian-born businessman and the founder of Cobra beer. He is also the Founding Chairman, and now President, of the UK India Business Council. Lord Bilimoria is the seventh Chancellor of the University of Birmingham, making him the first Indian-born Chancellor of a Russell Group University in Great Britain. He is a member of the advisory board of Judge Business School, Cambridge, and also President of the UK Council for International Students Affairs (UKCISA). In 2006 he became a cross-bench life peer.

David Bradley - Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

David Bradley is a York-born actor with a successful career on stage, and in film and television. He trained as an actor at the Royal Academy for Dramatic Art (RADA) and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1971. On stage he played Christ in the York Mystery Plays, and has many credits at the National Theatre and for the RSC. His TV roles include Our Friends in The North, Our Mutual Friend, Vanity Fair, Game of Thrones, Dr Who and Broadchurch, for which he won a BAFTA for best supporting actor. He has also appeared in a number of films, including Hot Fuzz and Captain America, and as Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films.

Professor David Fleming - Doctor of Education (honoris causa)

Professor David Fleming was the Vice Chancellor of York St John University from 2010-2015. Following a successful international career in property, Professor Fleming moved into higher education and held roles at Nottingham Trent, Northumbria and Sunderland Universities before becoming Vice Chancellor of York St John University in 2010. Under his tenure York St John was awarded Research Degree Awarding Powers, grew significantly in size and also strengthened its reputation for excellence in the student experience. Professor Fleming also served as Deputy Chairman of the UCAS Board.

Alastair Fothergill - Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

Alastair Fothergill is an award-winning natural history documentary producer. A Zoology graduate, he joined the BBC Natural History unit in 1983, working on The Really Wild Show, Wildlife on One and with Sir David Attenborough on The Trials of Life. He went on to produce Life in the Freezer, and aged 32 was made Head of the BBC Natural History Unit in 1999. He was series Producer for the landmark series Planet Earth and Executive Producer for the acclaimed Frozen Planet series. In 2012 he left the BBC to set up Silverback Films.

Andrew Marr - Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

Andrew Marr is a journalist and broadcaster. He began his career as a trainee business reporter at The Scotsman in 1981. Following this he was political editor at The Economist, editor of The Independent and a columnist for The Express and The Observer. He was political editor at the BBC from 2000-2005. He has written several books about politics and journalism and presented a number of historical series on the BBC. He also presents his own current affairs programme The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 on Sunday mornings.

Keith Massey - Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

Keith Massey is a highly experienced and well-respected TV cameraman, based in York. His first job was as a photographer with the Yorkshire Evening Press (now York Press) and in 1966 he began filming using a hand-wound clockwork 16mm silent-film camera. He went on to film news, documentary and drama, with credits including coverage of the first Gulf War, Blue Peter and Emmerdale. He has received a number of Royal Television Society awards and in 2012 became Chairman of the Guild of Television Cameramen.

Christian Prudhomme - Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

Christian Prudhomme is Director of the Tour de France. He began his career in journalism as a sports reporter and then held senior roles at French radio and TV channels. He commentated for France Télévisions at the Tour de France in 2000, and became Director of the Tour de France in 2007. He played a significant role in bringing the Tour de France Grand Depart to Yorkshire in 2014.

Una Stubbs - Doctor of Letters (honoris causa)

Una Stubbs is an actress famous for roles on the stage, film and television. Her father, a confectioner, was born in York and her family has connections with the site of the University’s The Grange accommodation, which featured on the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? in 2013. Her early professional life was as a dancer, but her big break came in 1963 when she appeared in the film Summer Holiday. She has since developed a long list of stage, film and TV credits, most recently in Sherlock and in the BBC’s The Big Painting Challenge.