Actors Carey Mulligan and Stephen Fry and author Kazuo Ishiguro were awarded New Year Honors on Monday that celebrate artists, athletes, politicians and others who make notable contributions to British society.

Mulligan, winner of a BAFTA award for “An Education” and a three-time Oscar nominee, was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to drama.

Fry, known for the BBC comedy “Blackadder” and his former comedic partnership with Hugh Laurie, was knighted.

More than 1,200 across the United Kingdom were honored in the semi- annual awards — with most going to those whose acts happen outside the spotlight cast on the famous and well-known.

The awards given out by monarchs since the Middle Ages are now vetted by a government committee before being passed on to the prime minister and King Charles III.

Fry said he was “startled and enchanted” to receive the honor for his work raising awareness about mental health and the environment. The author of several books in addition to his screen work, he is also president of the mental health charity Mind and supporter of the conservation group Fauna and Flora International.

“I think of my childhood, and my dreadful unhappiness and misery and stupidity, and everything that led to so many failures as a child,” he said. “And for my parents, really, what a disaster. I mean every time the phone rang, they thought, ‘Oh, God, what has Stephen done now?’ It was a sort of joke in the family.”

Nobel Prize-winning novelist Ishiguro, who wrote “The Remains of the Day” and was previously knighted, was made a Companion of Honor for literature.

Jolie, Pitt reach divorce settlement: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, ending one of the longest and most contentious divorces in Hollywood history but not every legal issue between the two.

Jolie and Pitt signed off on a default declaration filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, saying they have entered into a written agreement on their marital and property rights.

“More than eight years ago, Angelina filed for divorce from Mr. Pitt,” Jolie’s attorney, James Simon, said in a statement. “This is just one part of a long ongoing process that started eight years ago. Frankly, Angelina is exhausted, but she is relieved this one part is over.”

The filing says they give up the right to any future spousal financial support, but gives no other details. A judge will need to sign off on the agreement. An email to Pitt’s attorney seeking comment was not immediately answered.

Jolie, 49, and Pitt, 61, were among Hollywood’s most prominent pairings for 12 years, two of them as a married couple. The Oscar winners have six children together.

Jan. 2 birthdays: TV host Jack Hanna is 78. Actor Wendy Phillips is 73. Actor Gabrielle Carteris is 64. Actor Tia Carrere is 58. Model Christy Turlington is 56. Actor Taye Diggs is 54. Actor Renee Elise Goldsberry is 54. Singer Doug Robb is 50. Actor Dax Shepard is 50. Actor Kate Bosworth is 42. Singer Bryson Tiller is 32.