Academy Award®-Winner Kevin Kline Honored

CHICAGO – Celebrating its 50th anniversary of saluting the greatest talents in world cinema, Cinema/Chicago and The Chicago International Film Festival honored Academy Award®-winning actor Kevin Kline with a Career Achievement Award on Saturday, June 28 at the Four Seasons Hotel (120 E. Delaware), during a special Summer Gala celebration. Honored for his poignant roles and stunning breadth of work, Kline treated more than 350 guests to an intimate discussion led by host Bill Kurtis. Co-chaired by Cinema/Chicago Board Chairman Jeanne Randall Malkin and Board member Penelope Steiner, proceeds from the event directly benefit Cinema/Chicago’s year-round programming.The celebratory evening kicked off with a lavish cocktail reception in the ballroom foyer of the Four Seasons, during which time guests browsed an array of unique silent auction items including rare film memorabilia, extravagant dining items, exciting hotel stays and more. At the same time, Kevin Kline walked the red carpet regaling the media with stories from his career, the importance of film and education, his warm feelings for Chicago, as well as the privilege and honor of being celebrated by Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival. The ballroom doors were soon opened to reveal a breathtaking room and guests were then treated to a delectable dinner and live auction featuring a trip to Napa Valley, a custom-designed “Star Wars” slate created by George Lucas and a guitar autographed by the Rolling Stones.

The highlight of the evening came when host and legendary journalist Bill Kurtis welcomed Kline onto the stage for an intimate conversation and special tribute. Kline charmed guests with his thoughtful responses and evident passion for the art of theater and film. Interspersed throughout the candid discussion were a selection of clips showcasing Kline’s most memorable performances, accompanied by thoughtful video messages from past collaborators and friends including Sigourney Weaver, Ang Lee, Robert De Niro, Sally Field, Morgan Freeman, Jon Turteltaub, Susan Sarandon, Michael Douglas, Mary Steenburgen and Robert Downey Jr, all speaking to not only the incredible talent that Kline exudes, but to the amazing person that he is both on and off the screen.

With this award, Kline joined the ranks of many of the film industry’s most influential talents that have been honored by the Festival through the decades, including directors Orson Welles, George Cukor, Oliver Stone, Richard Attenborough, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg; and actors Gregory Peck, Jack Lemmon, Sigourney Weaver, Liv Ullman, Shirley MacLaine, Faye Dunaway, Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood, Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, Sally Field, Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino.

The Chicago International Film Festival’s Summer Gala is one of Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival’s most important events in their year-round programming. A primary fundraising event for the not-for-profit arts and education organization, profits from the Summer Gala support Cinema/Chicago’s Education Outreach Screening Program, which brings more than 6,000 Chicago Public School students to film screenings each year.

Evening Partners include Stella Artois, Sound Investment AV, CS, Casale Del Giglio, and Anna Lou Glass.

About Kevin Kline
Kline’s film credits include many of the most memorable films of the past three decades, including “Sophie’s Choice,” “The Big Chill,” “Dave,” “In & Out,” “Soapdish,” “Grand Canyon,” “Life as a House,” “French Kiss,” “Cry Freedom,” “The Ice Storm,” “The Anniversary Party,” “Fierce Creatures,” “As You Like It,” “The Emperor’s Club,” “A Prairie Home Companion,” “Queen to Play,” “The Extra Man,” “Silverado,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Darling Companion” and “Last Vegas.”

Kline made his Broadway debut in “The Three Sisters.” Other credits include “Hamlet,” “On the Twentieth Century,” “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Henry IV,” “King Lear,” “Richard III,” “Henry V,” “Measure for Measure,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Seagull,” “Mother Courage and Her Children,” “Loose Ends,” “Ivanov,” “Arms and the Man”  and “Cyrano de Bergerac,” among others.