Turner Classic Movies to Pay Tribute to Ernest Borgnine, 47th Recipient of Screen Actors Guild’s Life Achievement Award

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 7, 2011) - The evening before Screen Actors Guild® bestows its highest honor – the Life Achievement Award – on Ernest Borgnine, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will pay tribute to the memorable character actor with an evening of great performances.  TCM’s tribute to Borgnine will take place Saturday, Jan. 29, beginning at 8 p.m. (ET), less than a week after the Oscar®-winning star’s 94th birthday.  The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® http://www.sagawards.org will premiere live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT).

TCM’s tribute to Borgnine will include four outstanding films, along with a special encore of TCM’s Private Screenings: Ernest Borgnine (2009), in which TCM host Robert Osborne sits down with Borgnine for a one-hour chat about the legendary actor’s life and career.  Films in the lineup include Borgnine’s Oscar-winning performance in Marty (1955) and noteworthy work in such films as Bad Day at Black Rock (1955), The Dirty Dozen (1967) and The Wild Bunch (1969).

Honored by the SAG Awards® for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, Borgnine is exuberantly entering his seventh decade of acting.  He has earned industry recognition, critical praise and audience acclaim throughout his career, including a Golden Globe® win for his 2007 performance in the television movie A Grandpa for Christmas.  He most recently co-starred with Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich in the hit action flick Red.

The following is the complete schedule for TCM’s Saturday, Jan. 29, tribute to Ernest Borgnine (all times Eastern):

8 p.m.    Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) – This gripping drama takes place in a remote desert town, where a one-armed visitor (Spencer Tracy) is met with local resistance when he starts asking questions about a Japanese farmer supposedly living in the area.  Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Dean Jagger and Anne Francis star under John Sturges’ taut direction.

9:30 p.m.    The Dirty Dozen (1967) – A group of soldiers convicted of crimes are recruited for a daring mission in this blockbuster war movie.  Lee Marvin, Jim Brown, John Cassavetes, Robert Ryan, Charles Bronson, Donald Sutherland, George Kennedy and Telly Savalas are among the all-star cast members in this Robert Aldrich film. 12:15 a.m.    Private Screenings: Ernest Borgnine (2009) – TCM host Robert Osborne sits down with Borgnine for an in-depth discussion of the Oscar-winning actor’s life and career.

1:15 a.m.    Marty (1955) – Borgnine earned a well-deserved Oscar for his performance as a lonely butcher in this insightful drama written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Delbert Mann.  Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell and Joe De Santis star.

3 a.m.    The Wild Bunch (1969) – Sam Peckinpah’s masterful ode to the old West stars Borgnine, William Holden, Robert Ryan, Edmond O’Brien, Warren Oates and Ben Johnson in the story of a gang of aging outlaws determined to make one last haul.

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Turner Classic Movies is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world.  Currently seen in more than 85 million homes, TCM features the insights of veteran primetime host Robert Osborne and weekend daytime host Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests.  As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include The Essentials, 31 Days of Oscar and Summer Under the Stars.  TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its Web site, www.tcm.com http://www.tcm.com.  TCM is part of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Contact: Tosha Whitten Griggs, Los Angeles, 310/235-1030, twgriggs@sagawards.org
Heather Sautter, Atlanta, 404/885-0746, heather.sautter@turner.com
Cassie Bryan, Los Angeles, 818/729-7351, cassie.bryan@turner.com
Samantha Graham, New York, 212/275-6821, samantha.graham@turner.com