Black Expo to Honor Hollywood Actors
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana Black Expo will salute a pair of well-known actors during this year's Summer Celebration. Lou Gossett Jr. will receive the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award and the organization will honor Diahann Carroll with the Living Legend Award. May 22,2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana Black Expo is proud to announce that Lou Gossett Jr. will receive the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award Friday, July 18 at the Pacers Sports and Entertainment Corporate Luncheon presented by State Farm and Indiana University during Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration.
IBE's corporate luncheon, a signature event of Summer Celebration, will attract 3,000 attendees this year at the Indiana Convention Center.
“We are very excited to recognize the legendary Lou Gossett for his versatility, strength, and character in his performances on the screen,” says Tanya Bell, IBE president & CEO. “Gossett is not only an amazing actor, but he is a great humanitarian, added Bell.”
Gossett is active in working against violence, sexism and racism through his foundation, Eracism. At the age of 16, Gossett caught the break every actor lives for when he auditioned for Broadway's Take a Giant Step (1953).
Gossett's next Broadway role would come in 1959, in the watershed play A Raisin in the Sun a portrayal of African-American life written by Lorraine Hansberry. Gossett starred in both the stage and film version of Raisin, officially launching his acting career.
With a knack for landing guest spots on hit series, Gossett had roles in the early '60s on such shows as Bonanza, The Partridge Family, Mod Squad and Love, American Style, followed by more roles in the mid-1960's on hits like The Jeffersons, Good Times, The Six Million Dollar Man, Police Story and The Rockford Files.
Meanwhile, Gossett made a name for himself on the big screen as well, appearing in such films as The Landlord (1970), The Skin Game (1971) and Travels with My Aunt (1972).
All of this work led the actor to an essential role on the silver screen: Fiddler in the epic miniseries Roots (1977), a groundbreaking and hugely popular adaptation of the book by Alex Haley.
Gossett earned an Emmy Award for his performance in Roots, followed by more film roles and critical acclaim. His menacing work in The Deep (1977) and portrayal of a tough but fair drill sergeant in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) brought him rave reviews, with the latter role earning him an Academy Award for best supporting actor.
Following his Oscar win, Gossett made a number of big-screen and television appearances, notably in 1983's Sadat (as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat), the sci-fi adventure Enemy Mine
(1985) and the action adventure series Iron Eagle (1985, 1986, 1992, and 1995), which introduced him to a whole new generation of moviegoers.
In 1991, the actor garnered more accolades for his work in HBO's The Josephine Baker Story, for which he won a Golden Globe Award.
With nearly 200 acting credits to his name, Gossett has always kept busy in front of the camera, but he stays busy behind the scenes as well with his own production company, Logo Entertainment.
The Olive Branch and One More River to Cross, both starring and produced by Gossett and expected to be released in 2015.
May 22, 2014
News Release
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Indiana Black Expo, Inc. announced today that Diahann Carroll will receive its Living Legend Award on Friday, July 18 at the Pacers Sports & Entertainment Corporate Luncheon presented by IU and State Fame.
“I am very humbled by the opportunity to honor the legendary Diahann Carroll with IBE's Living Legend Award at this year's Corporate Luncheon,” says President & CEO Tanya Bell. We have a powerful list of awardees this year,” added Bell.
Diahann Carroll has moved effortlessly between the worlds of film, television, concerts and the stage throughout her career, earning her the title of Hollywood Legend. She is an Oscar nominee, a Tony Award winner, a Golden Globe winner, a four time Emmy nominee, a Grammy nominee and a best-selling author.
She made her Broadway debut starring in Harold Arlen and Truman Capote's musical House of Flowers. After seeing her in that production, Richard Rodgers created his own starring vehicle for her, the Broadway musical No Strings, for which she won a Tony Award. She returned to the Broadway stage again in 1983 in the award winning production of Agnes of God and received rave reviews for her portrayal of “Norma Desmond” in the Toronto premiere of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Sunset Boulevard.
Ms. Carroll is, perhaps, best known for her critically acclaimed television series, Julia, which debuted in 1968 and ran for three years. In her groundbreaking lead role as a nurse and single mom, she received her first Emmy nomination. Her long television career has included her game-changing role as “Dominique Devereaux” on the internationally acclaimed television series Dynasty as well as recurring roles on Grey's Anatomy and A Different World. She currently has a recurring role on USA Network's hit series White Collar.
On the big screen, Carroll received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and a Golden Globe award for her starring role opposite James Earl Jones in Claudine. Other notable films include Carmen Jones, Paris Blues, Porgy and Bess, Hurry Sundown, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Eve's Bayou. Her latest book, '”The Legs Are the Last to Go” was a New York Times bestseller.
About Indiana Black Expo Inc.
Indiana Black Expo, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with twelve chapter affiliates in the State of Indiana. IBE hosts Summer Celebration, its annual fundraiser, which funds several year-round programs, including The College and Scholarship Fair, State of Our Black Youth Initiative, Statewide Education Conference, Parent Engagement Summit, Children's Day Health Initiative, Family Fun Zone Health & Wellness Initiative, Youth Leadership Summit, and Youth Media Institute.
Source: Indiana Black Expo Inc.