Ben Kingsley was knighted on Tuesday, an honor that he told Queen Elizabeth II was far greater than receiving an Academy Award.

"I told the queen that winning an Oscar pales into insignificance. This is insurmountable," Kingsley said after the ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

The 58-year-old won a best-actor Oscar for the 1982 movie "Gandhi," and is up for best supporting actor this year in the gangster thriller "Sexy Beast."

"I've been nominated for an Academy Award, but I will be sitting there Sunday, in Los Angeles, thinking I'm a knight bachelor," he said.

Lynn Redgrave, who first gained fame with the title role in "Georgy Girl" in 1966, was invested Tuesday as an Officer of the Order of British Empire, or OBE.

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"I've lived in LA for over 20 years but I still feel very British. I don't think you can ever take the Brit out of a Brit," the 59-year-old actress said.

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