From Wicket the Ewok to Lubdan the leprechaun to Professor Filius Flitwick, actor Warwick Davis has been crafting memorable characters in iconic franchises since the age of 11, when he was first cast in Return of the Jedi after his grandmother heard a radio ment calling for actors who were 4 feet tall or shorter. On Letterboxd, have described the actor as a legend, a king, a gem, a treasure, the GOAT, and, for those partaking in the Leprechaun series, “THE MENACE”.

This year, Davis is being awarded by BAFTA with their annual Fellowship, described by the arts charity as “the highest accolade BAFTA can bestow on any one figure, recognising an exceptional contribution to film, television or games.” Former recipients include Alfred Hitchcock, Judi Dench, Sidney Poitier and Martin Scorsese.

To celebrate, we take a look at five of Davis’s most memorable film roles, and what Letterboxd had to say about the star. (Sadly, this means we can’t include his brilliant work on television in the canceled-too-soon Life’s Too Short and his uproarious appearance with Daniel Radcliffe in an episode of Extras).

Willow (1988)

Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Bob Dolman, from a story by George Lucas

“Willow balances the imagination of George Lucas and Ron Howard while also paying tribute to other works they are perhaps more renowned for; It’s a true underdog story at heart with Warwick Davis delivering a charismatically enjoyable performance (as to be expected, since Lucas wrote the story for Davis specifically). Its energetic potential for mythical world building is grounded with themes regarding destiny, facing your fears, and quite literally persevering in spite of your shortcomings.” —Christina Reynolds

“[George] Lucas and [Ron] Howard put together the perfect combination of great medieval production design and costumes, fantastic on-location sets and matte paintings, exciting fast-paced action, lovable characters, and a sweeping score that really makes this movie soar. Warwick Davis is perfect as Willow, and it is so cute to see how hesitant he is when his children and wife fall in love with this baby that has floated into their lives.” —Justin Peterson

“This is a classic hero’s journey that has some solid storytelling and nothing less. The dialogue is really well done and it feels like there isn’t a single wasted line of dialogue throughout the entire film. Everything that is setup in the beginning of the film ends up circling backing around in the end for a big pay off. The lead performance by Warwick Davis is great as he gives off a very charming and powerful performance that gets you to root for the character from the very start.” —Zachary

“Im just saying warwick davis as wicket is like the best star wars casting other than kylo ren, vader and obi wan” —Taylor James on ‘Ewoks: The Battle for Endor’

“This was a pretty fun short film. I enjoyed seeing Warwick running around the various Return of the Jedi sets. Him rocking out with Max Rebo was a great image.” —GonzoAppreciator on ‘Return of the Ewok’

“Young Warwick is darling. It’s easy to understand why Carrie would sneak him chocolate milk and cookies on set.” —luciap on ‘Return of the Ewok’

The Leprechaun franchise (1993–2003)

Directed by Mark Jones, Rodman Flender, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Rob Spera and Steven Ayromlooi
Written by Mark Jones, Alfredo Septién, Turi Meyer, David DuBos, Dennis A. Pratt, Doug Hall, Jon Huffman and Steven Ayromlooi

“Warwick Davis seems to be the only one having a good time in Leprechaun. Seriously: with as many bad things as there are to say about this movie, you can’t really knock Davis, who clearly relished the opportunity to up-end his screen image by playing a wicked and humorous horror monster. Even though I felt bad for him having to spend the whole movie tottering on heels (Davis apparently felt the black boots were integral to his character), I got a kick out of watching his delivery in Leprechaun.” —HKFanatic on ‘Leprechaun’

“I still find Leprechaun in the Hood to be a consistently amusing blaxploitation horror with a great performance by Warwick Davis. The rhymes and puns still make me laugh even though many of them are so mean-spirited and I love a movie that includes a Coolio cameo.” —{Todd} on ‘Leprechaun in the Hood’

“First and foremost Warwick Davis fully commits and you BETTER BELIEVE there is a leprechaun rap at the end of the film. Ice-T enters every scene at an 11 and I could not stop laughing at how angry he was the whole time. We’ve reached peak cinema when him and the leprechaun share a t in a bathroom.” —Jesse on ‘Leprechaun in the Hood’

Skinned Deep (2004)

Written and directed by Gabriel Bartalos

“Hilarious and gory, Skinned Deep is a movie that always has something interesting happening on screen. Whether it’s the metal-jawed maniac tracking down his next victim, or Warwick Davis throwing plates at people, this movie is one of the craziest things I’ve seen.” —JosephGio

“Legitimately one of the most fun Texas Chain Saw Massacre clones I’ve ever seen. Delightfully deranged. Nice gory kills. Warwick Davis throwing plates everywhere. What more does one need?” —MoVieManKev