The 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' director will be awarded the coveted award honoring Hollywood icons who have 'made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment' in January next year.
- Sep 14, 2013
AceShowbiz - Woody Allen, who had said himself in the past that he was not into awards shows, has been chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as the next recipient for its Cecil B. DeMille Award. Though he did once show up at the Oscars in 2002 in the wake of 9/11 tragedy, it remains to be seen if he will appear in person for the upcoming Golden Globes.
The 77-year-old filmmaker, without a doubt, is one of Hollywood icons who's "made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment." "There is no one more worthy of this award than Woody Allen," said HFPA president Theo Kingma. "His contributions to filmmaking have been phenomenal and he is an international treasure."
Prolific actor, director and screenwriter, Allen has made around 50 movies during his career. His recent works include "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", "Midnight in Paris" and "Blue Jasmine", and he is currently working on the next project, still untitled, which will star Colin Firth, Emma Stone and Marcia Gay Harden.
He won four Academy Awards and was nominated 23 times: 15 as a screenwriter, 7 as a director, and once as an actor. He has more screenwriting nominations at the Oscars than any other writer; all are in the Best Original Screenplay category. He is also tied for third all-time with seven Best Director nominations.
But never did he accept his wins in person, usually opting to spend the Oscar night playing clarinet at a New York jazz club. "The whole concept of awards is silly. I cannot abide by the judgment of other people, because if you accept it when they say you deserve an award, then you have to accept it when they say you don't," he once said.
Allen got a warm welcome and a standing ovation when he made a surprise appearance at the Academy Awards in 2002 to encourage filmmakers to continue working in New York in the aftermath of the devastating September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Allen will be honored with the special prize at the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards to take place on Sunday, January 12, 2014. Jodie Foster accepted the honor at this year's awards show, and she caused a buzz when she delivered an acceptance speech that seemed to address her sexuality. Other past recipients included Walt Disney, Sidney Poitier, Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, Warren Beatty and Robert De Niro.
