AFI presented its 36th annual life achievement award to Warren Beatty.
Beatty has charmed moviegoers as a dynamic leading man from his first moment onscreen, said AFI board chairman Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony Corp. He is also a master filmmaker–a writer, producer and director of such artistry and influence that his movies– from Bonnie and Clyde to Reds–have left an indelible mark on the cultural legacy of American film.
Beatty will be feted June 12 at AFIs annual gala dinner in Los Angeles. Highlights from the ceremony will be telecast on USA.
Beattys long and varied career began in 1959 with a role on TV sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. He made his Broadway debut the following year in A Loss of Roses, earning a Tony nomination. His bigscreen entry came in 1961 opposite Natalie Wood in Elia Kazans Splendor in the Grass.
Beatty was producer and star of 1967s Bonnie and Clyde, which earned an Oscar nom for best picture and an actor nod for him. Beatty, the brother of actress Shirley MacLaine, won the director Oscar for 1981s Reds and garnered best picture noms for Reds, Heaven Can Wait and Bugsy.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences honored Beatty with its 1999 Irving Thalberg Award.
This year’s AFI life achievement honoree was Al Pacino.