THE 36th AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: A TRIBUTE TO WARREN BEATTY PREMIERES ON USA NETWORK TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2008

THE 36th AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: A TRIBUTE TO WARREN BEATTY PREMIERES ON USA NETWORK TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2008

LOS ANGELES, CA � June 20, 2008 � Thousands of guests filled the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on June 12 for the 36th American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award honoring Warren Beatty. Widely regarded as the highest honor for a career in film, the black-tie tribute celebrated Beatty's exceptional career with many of his colleagues, friends and family present, including his wife Annette Bening and sister Shirley MacLaine. Last year's AFI Life Achievement Award recipient Al Pacino presented Beatty with the honor at evening's end. THE 36th AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: A TRIBUTE TO WARREN BEATTY will now air on USA Network on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 9/8c.

Among guests who participated in the tribute were Halle Berry, Dyan Cannon, Don Cheadle, Julie Christie, President Bill Clinton, Robert Downey Jr., Faye Dunaway, Jane Fonda, Gene Hackman, Goldie Hawn, Dustin Hoffman, Diane Keaton, Harvey Keitel, Elaine May, Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino, Barbra Streisand, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Towne. Also in attendance were Chevy Chase, Barry Diller, Robert Evans, Art Garfunkel, David Geffen, Anthony Michael Hall, Glenne Headley, Marshall Herskovitz, Arianna Huffington, Angela Lansbury, Kelly Lynch, Eva Mendes, Ron Meyer, Brett Ratner, Molly Ringwald, Eva Marie Saint, Tony Shalhoub, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Spielberg, George Stevens, Jr., Paula Wagner and Ed Zwick.

The evening began with eloquent remarks from AFI Board of Trustees chair Sir Howard Stringer alongside a moving tribute to the legacy left by the passing of screen titan Charlton Heston. Warren Beatty's entrance into the ballroom was accompanied by a performance of Foggy Mountain Breakdown (BONNIE AND CLYDE) from bluegrass banjo pioneer Earl Scruggs. The evening also included a musical performance of Ghetto Supastar from BULWORTH by Pras and Amerie.

Beatty joins a distinguished list of recipients of AFI's Life Achievement Award including Al Pacino, Sean Connery, George Lucas, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Barbra Streisand, Harrison Ford, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Wise, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, Jack Nicholson, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Poitier, Kirk Douglas, David Lean, Gregory Peck, Barbara Stanwyck, Billy Wilder, Gene Kelly, Lillian Gish, John Huston, Frank Capra, Fred Astaire, James Stewart, Alfred Hitchcock, Henry Fonda, Bette Davis, Orson Welles, James Cagney and John Ford.

The special event was executive produced by Gary Smith, directed and co-produced by Louis J. Horvitz, written by Jon Macks and produced by Chris Merrill. The event was sponsored by Hewlett Packard.

AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. Additional information about AFI is available at AFI.com.

AFI thanks HP for its support of this year's Life Achievement Award. American Airlines is the official airline of the American Film Institute. AFI offers additional thanks to the Frank Family Vineyards.

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