52nd Annual Accolade to be Presented During the
22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®
Simulcast Live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, January 30, 2016
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 25, 2016) – Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will present the Life Achievement Award to comedic trailblazer, actor, singer, dancer, producer and author Carol Burnett live at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, Executive Producer Kathy Connell announced today. Burnett accepting SAG-AFTRA’s highest accolade from Fey and Poehler will be a highlight of the annual SAG Awards ceremony, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at 8 p.m. (ET), 5 p.m. (PT).
Given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession," including career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, the Life Achievement Award will join Burnett's exceptional catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes multiple Emmys®, a special Tony®, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and both a Kennedy Center Honor and its Mark Twain Prize for Humor.
Burnett becomes the 52nd recipient of the Life Achievement Award. Past recipients include Debbie Reynolds, Rita Moreno, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Ernest Borgnine, Betty White, James Earl Jones, Charles Durning, Julie Andrews, Shirley Temple Black, James Garner, Karl Malden, Clint Eastwood, Edward Asner, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, Robert Redford and George Burns.
Tina Fey (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Sisters,” “30 Rock”)
Actor, producer, writer and author Tina Fey holds the distinction of being the youngest-ever recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which was bestowed upon Fey in 2010. She is perhaps best known to the television viewing public as Liz Lemon in NBC’s “30 Rock,” a role that earned her five Actors®, nine additional Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, an Emmy, two Golden Globes and a People’s Choice Award. Besides being the star, Fey served as co-creator, Executive Producer and head writer of the series, which ran for seven seasons and was recognized with a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. “30 Rock” also earned three Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, two Writers Guild Awards and two Producers Guild Awards
Fey then re-teamed with writing partner Robert Carlock to create, executive produce and write the Universal TV/ Netflix original comedy, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Ellie Kemper, who plays the title role, has been nominated for an Actor® this year. The series is currently in production on Season 2 and has been renewed for a third season. It was nominated for an Emmy, as were three cast members and one for Fey as guest star.
Fey expanded to feature films in spring 2004 as both a screenwriter and an actress in the hit comedy “Mean Girls.” She most recently starred with Amy Poehler in “Sisters,” which Fey produced, and soon will be seen starring in in “Whisky Tango Foxtrot,” the film adaptation of journalist Kim Barker's wartime memoir of Kabul, Afghanistan. Fey is also Executive Producer.
Last spring, Fey appeared as part of the ensemble cast in "This is Where I Leave You" with Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll and Kathryn Hahn. Fey also co-starred opposite the Muppets, Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell in the heist adventure, “Muppets Most Wanted.”
Prior to creating “30 Rock,” Fey was featured in nine seasons of NBC's “Saturday Night Live” as head writer, cast member and co-anchor of the "Weekend Update" segment. Fey is an Emmy winner and two-time Writers Guild Award winner for her writing on “Saturday Night Live” and won an Emmy in 2009 for her portrayal of Sarah Palin on the 2008-2009 season of “SNL.” Fey’s first book, “Bossypants,” topped the New York Times best-seller list and has sold over 3 million copies thus far.
Amy Poehler (“Sisters,” “Inside Out,” “Parks and Recreation”)
Three-time SAG Award nominee Amy Poehler has a number of high-profile projects in the works, including “The House” opposite Will Ferrell, and “Balls,” a basketball comedy for Universal that she will star in and produce. Additionally, Poehler continues to serve as executive producer on both Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and Hulu’s “Difficult People.”
Off-camera, Poehler produces and hosts “Ask Amy” on the award-winning online websites “Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls at the Party.” Her first book, “Yes Please,” debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list in 2014.
Poehler is perhaps best known for her Golden Globe, American Comedy and Gracie Award-winning role as Leslie Knope on the Emmy-nominated NBC comedy series “Parks and Recreation,” for which her other honors include her three Actor nominations.
In the film world, Poehler most recently executive produced and co-starred opposite Tina Fey in the Universal comedy “Sisters” and as the voice of Joy in Disney Pixar’s Oscar-nominated “Inside Out.” Her other film credits include “They Came Together,” “A.C.O.D.,” “Free Birds,” “Are You Here,” “Baby Mama,” “Blades of Glory,” “Mean Girls,” and “Wet Hot American Summer.” Her voice has also been heard in “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” “Monsters vs. Aliens,” “Horton Hears a Who!” and “Shrek the Third.”
She has a production deal with her company, Paper Kite Productions through NBC’s Universal Television, under which the comedy series “Difficult People” is in production. In addition to “Balls,” Poehler sold a film project called “Schooled” which she will produce. She also teamed up with her brother, Greg Poehler, to form international television comedy and programming production company Syskon, which premiered with “Welcome to Sweden” on NBC and Sweden’s TV4 network.
Poehler featured on eight seasons of “Saturday Night Live” (five as the co-anchor of “Weekend Update”), where was renowned for her arsenal of outrageous characters and memorable impressions of Kelly Ripa, Avril Lavigne, Sharon Osbourne, Paula Abdul, Sharon Stone and Michael Jackson. She joined the “SNL” cast from the sketch/improv troupe Upright Citizens Brigade, which she co-founded and served as writer and performer.
Carol Burnett, 2015 Life Achievement Award Recipient
The 2015 Life Achievement Award will join Carol Burnett’s record of preeminent industry honors, which include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy Center Honor and its Mark Twain Prize for Humor, a Peabody Award, the Television Critics Association's Career Achievement Award, dozens of Emmy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, five American Comedy Awards, 12 People’s Choice Awards, an Ace Award, a Horatio Alger Award, both Crystal and Lucy Awards from Women in Film, the TV Land Legend Award, the Jimmy Stewart Museum's Harvey Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Burnett first made her mark as a member of “The Garry Moore Show” ensemble and for her Tony®-nominated performance in the original Broadway musical production of “Once Upon a Mattress.” Her rise to household name came in 1967, when “The Carol Burnett Show” premiered on CBS with a talented ensemble featuring Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence and Lyle Waggoner. Burnett’s portrayal of “Starlet” O’Hara in a “Gone with the Wind” parody is always counted among the top 10 greatest moments in television history. Its famous Bob Mackie-designed “curtain-rod” dress now resides at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Burnett’s film credits include John Huston's version of the musical “Annie”; Peter Bogdanovich’s “Noises Off”; Robert Altman's “A Wedding”; and Alan Alda’s “Four Seasons.” On Broadway she starred in A.R. Gurney’s “Love Letters,” Stephen Sondheim's musical “review” “Putting It Together,” and Ken Ludwig’s farce “Moon Over Buffalo.” She also starred in the highly acclaimed television movies “Friendly Fire” and “Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice,” produced and starred in numerous specials, and guest-starred on such series as “Glee,” “Hot in Cleveland,” and “Law and Order: SVU.”
Burnett has written three New York Times-bestselling memoirs: “One More Time,” followed by “This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection” and “Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story,” both Grammy® nominees for best spoken word recordings. She added playwright to her credits when she and her daughter, Carrie Hamilton, wrote “Hollywood Arms.” Sadly, Carrie passed away four months prior to the play’s premiere at the Chicago Goodman Theatre in April 2002. Directed by Hal Prince, “Hollywood Arms” premiered on Broadway later that year.
This year, Burnett already has been seen in the PBS telecast of “A Celebration of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House” and returned to CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” for a special episode.
Burnett is in active development with CBS Films on “Sunrise in Memphis,” a theatrical project originated by her late daughter Carrie and is writing her fourth book, entitled “In Such Good Company,” a poignant love letter to the golden era of television that simultaneously examines what made “The Carol Burnett Show” an iconic success.
About the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®
The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® presented by SAG-AFTRA with Screen Actors Guild Awards, LLC will be produced by Avalon Harbor Entertainment, Inc. and simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). TBS and TNT subscribers will also be able to watch the SAG Awards live through the networks' websites and mobile apps. In addition, TNT will present a primetime encore of the ceremony immediately following the live presentation. For more information about the SAG Awards®, SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about.
Prior to the televised ceremony, honorees for outstanding television and film stunt ensemble action performances will be announced from the red carpet during the SAG Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show, which will be webcast live on sagawards.tntdrama.com, sagawards.org and People.com beginning at 6 p.m. (ET) / 3 p.m. (PT).
One of the awards season’s premier events, the SAG Awards® annually celebrates the outstanding motion pictures and television performances from the previous calendar year. Of the top industry honors presented to actors, only the SAG Awards are selected entirely by performers’ peers in SAG-AFTRA. Members in good standing eligible to vote this year number 116,741. The SAG Awards was the first televised awards show to acknowledge the work of union members and the first to present awards to motion picture casts and television ensembles.
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