Actress and author Shirley MacLaine has been chosen to receive the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award as announced today by Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the American Film Institute’s Board of Trustees. The AFI Life Achievement Award is the highest honor for a career in film, according to the AFI press release. “The recipient should be one whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time,” per AFI’s official standards used in selecting the honoree.
MacLaine will be presented with the prestigious award on June 7, 2012.
Commenting on the choice of MacLaine as the next recipient of the Life Achievement Award, Stringer stated, “Shirley MacLaine is a powerhouse of personality that has illuminated screens large and small across six decades. From ingénue to screen legend, Shirley has entertained a global audience through song, dance, laughter and tears, and her career as writer, director and producer is even further evidence of her passion for the art form and her seemingly boundless talents. There is only one Shirley MacLaine, and it is AFI’s honor to present her with its 40th Life Achievement Award.”
MacLaine will be joining a list of AFI Life Achievement Award winners that includes Elizabeth Taylor, James Cagney, Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Alfred Hitchcock, Fred Astaire, Billy Wilder, Jack Lemmon, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Sidney Poitier, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, George Lucas, Al Pacino, Michael Douglas, and Sean Connery.
More on Shirley MacLaine [Courtesy of AFI]:
Shirley MacLaine’s illustrious career comprises more than 50 feature films highlighted by an Academy Award® win and six nominations, six Emmy® Awards nominations, seven Golden Globe® Awards – including the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award – and the title of international best-selling author. Recently, MacLaine appeared in the ensemble film, VALENTINE’S DAY, and the Lifetime made-for-TV movie COCO CHANEL, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe® and SAG Award®. She released her best-selling book “SAGE-ING WHILE AGE-ING” in 2008, followed by her latest New York Times best-seller, “I’M OVER ALL THAT – AND OTHER CONFESSIONS,” released on April 5th, 2011. In the fall of 2011, she received France’s most prestigious cultural award, the Legion of Honor, presented by France’s Minister of Culture and Communication, Frederic Mitterrand, at the French Cinematheque.
MacLaine made her professional debut dancing in a Broadway revival of OKLAHOMA! in the 1950s. Her first film appearance was in Alfred Hitchcock’s THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY, earning her a Golden Globe Award for “New Star of the Year – Actress” in 1955. At the same time, she starred in SOME COME RUNNING, which led to her first Academy Award® nomination and an additional Golden Globe® nomination. She also starred alongside Audrey Hepburn in THE CHILDREN’S HOUR, based on a play by Lillian Hellman. MacLaine received a second Oscar® nomination for her work in the award winning film, THE APARTMENT, co-starring Jack Lemmon and directed by Billy Wilder. She reunited with Lemmon and Wilder for IRMA LA DOUCE in 1963, earning yet another Academy Award® nomination.
In 1975, MacLaine received her fourth Oscar® nomination, this time for best documentary as a producer and star of THE OTHER HALF OF THE SKY: A CHINA MEMOIR. Two years later, she was once again nominated for her starring role in THE TURNING POINT. In 1983, MacLaine finally won an Oscar for her work in TERMS OF ENDEARMENT. Later, she also received a Golden Globe® Award for her 1989 performance in MADAME SOUSATZKA. MacLaine was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1998.
MacLaine’s additional credits include notable films such as STEEL MAGNOLIAS with Julia Roberts, POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE with Meryl Streep, IN HER SHOES with Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette, and RUMOR HAS IT with Jennifer Aniston and Kevin Costner.
MacLaine’s television credits include the telefilms, “THESE OLD BROADS,” “CAROLINA” and “SALEM WITCH TRIALS.” She also starred in the CBS miniseries, “HELL ON HEELS: THE BATTLE OF MARY KAY,” the life story of the cosmetics queen Mary Kay Ash.
A longtime outspoken advocate for civil rights and liberties, women’s rights, and spiritual understanding, MacLaine is known for her faith in reincarnation, angels, the power of crystals and other New Age beliefs. She addresses these topics at length, as well as her Hollywood career, in her books, OUT ON A LIMB and DANCING IN THE NIGHT. MacLaine went on to author numerous other books including THE CAMINO and OUT ON A LEASH, all of which are international bestsellers.
MacLaine can be seen next in BERNIE, staring Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey. She can also be seen on stage during her one-woman show tour as it hits cities across the globe, combining a montage of memorable film moments with private revelations about her extraordinary life, career and spiritual journey.
Source: American Film Institute – October 10, 2011
I’ll admit it – I’m totally addicted to Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” so much so that it’s a good thing it’s impossible to wear out a track on an iPod.
