Stephen Graham to be honoured by Sir Paul McCartney

Actor Stephen Graham is to be honoured by Sir Paul McCartney in a ceremony at his performing arts school in Liverpool.

Graham, who grew up in the Merseyside town of Kirkby, will be presented with a companionship of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) by the former Beatle and co-founder of the school.

Emmy award-winning Graham, who has previously described himself as "just a mixed-race kid from Kirkby" will be given the honour at LIPA's graduation ceremony on Tuesday.

LIPA's principal and CEO, Prof Sean McNamara, said it would be "a milestone graduation for us" as they marked their 30th anniversary.

Graham, who is also a writer and producer, cut his teeth at the Everyman Youth Theatre in Liverpool.

He went on to find widespread fame with his performance in Shane Meadows' 2006 film This Is England before starring on the big and small screen on both sides of the Atlantic.

He won an Emmy for his starring role in acclaimed Netflix drama Adolescence, when he played Eddie Miller, the father of a teenage boy accused of killing a female schoolmate.

Graham is one of five leading figures from the creative industries who will be awarded a LIPA companionship during the ceremony.

McNamara said it was fitting that they celebrated the achievements of LIPA graduates alongside the "outstanding artists, producers and managers" who are to be made LIPA companions.

A LIPA spokesperson said the companionship was "awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement in the creative industries and a significant contribution to student learning".

Liverpool-born and BAFTA-winning actor and writer Cathy Tyson will also receive the honour, alongside the artistic director of Liverpool's Africa Oyé music and culture festival, Paul Duhaney, McFly singer songwriter Tom Fletcher and film producer and president of the Oscars, Lynette Howell Taylor, a LIPA graduate.

Howell Taylor graduated from LIPA's management degree in 2000 before moving to Los Angeles, where she has produced more than 25 feature films, including A Star Is Born.

She was elected as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - the organisation behind the Oscars - in 2025.

Howell Taylor said studying at LIPA was "the first time I felt truly seen for my passion and abilities", praising staff for their support and encouragement.

"I owe so much to LIPA's founders Mark Featherstone-Witty and Sir Paul McCartney for creating a truly creative and cross discipline environment where both artists and those that enable and work with artists can thrive," she added.

The ceremony at the school, which was founded in 1996, will also see more than 400 LIPA students graduate.

LIPA is based at the former Liverpool Institute school, attended by Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison, and is next to the neighbouring Liverpool Art College, where John Lennon studied.

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