The BAFTA Awards pic: Chloe004

Hackney actor Adam Deacon, 28, was pronounced Orange Wednesdays Rising Star at last night’s BAFTA awards ceremony.

In his acceptance speech Deacon said: “It’s not just a win for me, it’s a win for the underdog, and it’s a win for any young person out there that’s got a dream to better themselves.”

The Rising Star Award is the only publicly voted accolade presented at the ceremony. Among this year’s nominees were Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, who both appeared in last year’s Thor, Eddie Redmayne of My Week with Marilyn, and Bridesmaids actor Chris O’Dowd.

Past winners include Transformers actor, Shia LaBeouf, Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame, and writer and director of Kidulthood, Noel Clarke.

In 2011 Deacon, an actor and rapper from east London, wrote and directed his first film Anuvahood. Alongside Jaime Winstone and Richard Blackwood, Deacon plays Kenneth, a “wasteman” from London who aspires to be a gangster and MC.

Deacon began his career with Y Touring Theatre Company, but soon progressed to television work, including appearances in London’s Burning and Spooks. His big break came in 2006 when he played Jay in Noel Clarke’s critically acclaimed Kidulthood – a gritty, coming-of-age drama based in west London. He went on to star in the 2008 sequel, Adulthood.

Deacon soon gained regular parts in The Bill, Dead Set and Casualty, in between additional film roles, and has appeared in the music videos of London rappers Bashy and Chipmunk.