Jack O’Connell has been awarded the EE Rising Star Award at this year’s Baftas.

Voted for by the public, the award seeks to recognise up and coming young actors who have won acclaim for their roles in the past year.

O’Connell, who began his career in Channel 4’s drama Skins, starred in Angelina Jolie’s Japanese prisoner of war drama Unbroken last year as former Olympian Louis Zamperini.

Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Show all 18 1 /18 Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Actress Moore played an academic suffering from Alzheimers disease in the film Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Actor Stephen Hawking and his family supported Redmayne's portrayal of the physicist by attending the awards ceremony Dave J Hogan/Getty Images Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette collected a gong for Best Supporting Actress in Boyhood EPA/ANDY RAIN Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Supporting Actor JK Simmons celebrates after winning best supporting actor for Whiplash at the BAFTA awards ceremony REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Actress Julianne Moore with the Award for Leading Actress for Still Alice, poses alongside presenters Henry Cavill (Man of Steel) and Chris Evans (Captain America) Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Actor Redmayne and Stephen Hawking attend the Baftas after show party at the Grosvenor House Hotel Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Supporting Actor JK Simmons poses with Reese Witherspoon, who presented him with the award for Best Supporting Actor Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Rising Star British actor Jack O'Connell poses with his Rising Star award EPA/ANDY RAIN Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Outstanding British Film Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten, Steven Noble, Krystyan Mallet, James Marsh, Tim Devan, Eric Fellner, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones alongside presenter David Beckham with the Outstanding British Film Award for The Theory of Everything Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Director Foxcatcher actor Steve Carell, left, and Boyhood actor Ethan Hawke, collecting the award on behalf of Richard Linklater, winner of Best Director for Boyhood Jonathan Short/Invision/AP Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Film (Left to right) Jonathan Sehring, Cathleen Sutherland, Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette and John Sloss with the Best Film Award for Boyhood Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Bafta Fellowship Sally Hawkins (left) and Imelda Staunton pose for photographers with winner Mike Leigh Jonathan Short/Invision/AP Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Adapted Screenplay New Zealand-born novelist Anthony McCarten after winning the Best Adapted Screenplay for 'The Theory Of Everything' EPA/ANDY RAIN Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Sound Sound engineers Craig Mann (second left), Ben Wilkins (centre) and Thomas Curley (second right), pose with the award for sound for their work on the film Whiplash with presenters British actress Phoebe Fox (right) and British actor Dougray Scott (left) AFP PHOTO / BEN STANSALLBEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Bafta Fellowship Hawkins and Staunton laugh with winner Mike Leigh EPA/ANDY RAIN Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Film not in the English Language (Left to right) Pawel Pawlikowski, Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzieciol and Ewa Puszczynska, winners of Best Film not in the English Language for Ida David M. Benett/Getty Images Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Best Animated Film Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (right), winners of the Best Animated Film award for the movie Lego Movie Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire Baftas 2015: The winners in pictures Bafta winners Winners clutch their awards on the stage at the Royal Opera House in London Jonathan Short/Invision/AP

In 2013, he played the lead in British indie film Starred Up, in which he played a violent reprobate prematurely transferred to an adult prison.

O’Connell beat Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle), Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street), Miles Teller (Whiplash) and Shailene Woodley (The Fault in Our Stars) to win the award.

Previous recipients include Will Poultner, Juno Temple, Tom Hardy and Kristen Stewart.

James McAvoy, the first winner of the EE Rising Star Award ten years ago, returned to present O’Connell with his Bafta.