FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Christopher Chen
or Mirjana Van Blaricom
(818) 989-1589
info@pressacademy.com
www.pressacademy.com

The International Press Academy announces Louis Gossett, Jr. will receive the 2008 Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry at this year’s 13th Annual Satellite Awards^TM to be held on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, California.

Mr. Gossett is a star of stage and screen whose career began in 1958 and covers more than 50 years, continuing to this day. He is the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the 1983 Academy Award® for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of the tough gunnery sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman, which was directed by Taylor Hackford. This film also featured memorable
performances by a young Richard Gere and Debra Winger.

Over the years, Mr. Gossett’s career has reflected the dignity and grace of a true scholar of his craft, from the 1961 production of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, to his Emmy Award-winning role in the groundbreaking television mini-series Roots (1977), to his portrayal of Anwar Sadat in the 1983 television movie, Sadat, and hosts of other performances, Louis Gossett, Jr. has exemplified the quintessential thespian. At present, Mr. Gossett has taken a leading role on the popular science fiction series Stargate SG-1introducing him to yet a new generation of fans worldwide.

As a philanthropist and humanitarian, Mr. Gossett’s achievements have been equally impressive. Mr. Gossett is the founder of the nonprofit Eracism Foundation aimed at creating entertainment that helps bring awareness and education to issues such as racism, ignorance, and societal apathy.

The International Press Academy gives recognition to veteran artists and personalities who have become pioneers and institutions in the entertainment industry by bestowing their coveted Satellite Award in a number of distinctive categories, as well as its lifetime achievement honors, the Nikola Tesla Award and the Mary Pickford Award. Mr. Gossett will be the thirteenth recipient of the Mary Pickford Award.

Past recipients of the International Press Academy’s Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry include: Kathy Bates, Martin Landau, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Arnon Milchan, Robert Evans, Karl Malden, Francis Ford Coppola, Maximilian Schell, Alan J. Pakula, Jodie Foster, and Rod Steiger.