Shirley MacLaine To Receive AFI Lifetime Achievement Award

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

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 9, 2011 –  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.

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.