“Death of a Salesman” actor Wendell Pierce, “The Piano Lesson” director Latanya Richardson Jackson, and “Up” star John Douglas Thompson are among the honorees named at the opening ceremony presented by the African American Film Critics Association.
The event is scheduled for October 17th at The Lambs Club in the heart of the Midtown Theater District.
“It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have auditioned for their clips on it,” said Jill Robertson, co-founder of the AAFCA. “Sydney Poitier, Robbie Dee and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for whom this has been true, with winners Tony Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra MacDonald, Adrian Warren and Miles Frost among those who continue that legacy. As a trusted pipeline of outstanding black talent in front of the The camera and behind it, Hollywood has made great use of this esteemed training ground and AAFCA Salutes Broadway celebrates this rich heritage.”
Thompson, known for his many Shakespearean roles, will receive the Outstanding Achievement Award. The Pulitzer Prize-winning film Topdog/Underdog by Susan Laurie Parks — which starred Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and was directed by Kenny Lyon in its first Broadway revival — has been selected for a Spotlight Award.
Pierce, known for his work on the HBO series “The Wire,” “Treme,” the 2014 “Selma,” and the Amazon Prime Video series “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” among many other roles, will receive a Beacon Award for collecting Broadway shows Hudson Theater starred in “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller. Richardson Jackson will be honored with a Vanguard Award as she will make her Broadway debut with August Wilson’s “Piano Lesson”, starring Samuel L. Jackson, who is her husband. Production began on September 19 and opened October 13 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, making Richardson Jackson the first woman to direct a Wilson play on Main Stem.
“The intersection that exists between the theater, television and film communities should be celebrated,” says Debra Martin Chase, producer of the Tony Award-winning movie “A Strange Loop” as well as the CBS drama “The Equalizer.” “I am very happy that the AAFCA continues to do the work of advocating for artists in these places.”
(Pictured: Wendell Pierce, Latanya Richardson Jackson)
[ad_2]
