Shirley MacLaine to Receive 40th AFI Life Achievement Award

Shirley MacLaine to Receive 40th AFI Life Achievement Award

America's Highest Honor for a Career in Film to be Presented June 7, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the American Film Institute's Board of Trustees, announced today the Board's decision to honor Shirley MacLaine with the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111009/DC83012)

The award will be presented to MacLaine at a gala tribute on Thursday, June 7, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA. TV Land will broadcast the 40th AFI Life Achievement Award tribute on TV Land later in June 2012. The event will celebrate MacLaine's extraordinary life and all her endeavors - movies, television, Broadway, author and beyond.

"Shirley MacLaine is a powerhouse of personality that has illuminated screens large and small across six decades," said Stringer. "From ingenue 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."

Last year's AFI Tribute brought together icons of the film community to honor Morgan Freeman. Sidney Poitier opened the tribute, and Clint Eastwood presented the award at evening's end. Also participating were Casey Affleck, Dan Aykroyd, Matthew Broderick, Don Cheadle, Bill Cosby, David Fincher, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Ashley Judd, Matthew McConaughey, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Tim Robbins, Chris Rock, Hilary Swank, Forest Whitaker, Betty White, Renee Zellweger and surprise musical guest Garth Brooks.

The highest honor given for a career in film, the AFI Life Achievement Award is presented to a single honoree each year based on the following criteria as mandated by the AFI Board of Trustees:

"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."

About Shirley MacLaine

Shirley MacLaine's illustrious career comprises more than 50 feature films highlighted by an Academy Award® win and six nominations, six Emmy® Awards nominations 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. She released her latest New York Times best-seller, "I'M OVER ALL THAT - AND OTHER CONFESSIONS" on April 5th, 2011. 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.

Honored Recipients

1973 John Ford
1974 James Cagney
1975 Orson Welles
1976 William Wyler
1977 Bette Davis
1978 Henry Fonda
1979 Alfred Hitchcock
1980 James Stewart
1981 Fred Astaire
1982 Frank Capra
1983 John Huston
1984 Lillian Gish
1985 Gene Kelly
1986 Billy Wilder
1987 Barbara Stanwyck
1988 Jack Lemmon
1989 Gregory Peck
1990 David Lean
1991 Kirk Douglas
1992 Sidney Poitier
1993 Elizabeth Taylor
1994 Jack Nicholson
1995 Steven Spielberg
1996 Clint Eastwood
1997 Martin Scorsese
1998 Robert Wise
1999 Dustin Hoffman
2000 Harrison Ford
2001 Barbra Streisand
2002 Tom Hanks
2003 Robert De Niro
2004 Meryl Streep
2005 George Lucas
2006 Sean Connery
2007 Al Pacino
2008 Warren Beatty
2009 Michael Douglas
2010 Mike Nichols
2011 Morgan Freeman
2012 Shirley MacLaine

For the complete version of this press release, visit http://www.afi.com/about/press.aspx

SOURCE American Film Institute

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111009/DC83012
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
American Film Institute

CONTACT: TV Land: Rachel Sandler, +1-212-846-4412, rachel.sandler@tvland.com, Vanessa Reyes-Smith, +1-310-752-8081, vanessa.reyes@tvland.com, AFI: Jessica Smith, +1-323-856-7766, jsmith@AFI.com

Web Site: http://www.afi.com

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