MORGAN FREEMAN TO RECEIVE “2013 CINEMA ICON AWARD”

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman will receive the "2013 Cinema Icon Award" at this year's CinemaCon, it was announced today by the convention's Managing Director Mitch Neuhauser. CinemaCon, the largest and most important convention for the motion picture theatre industry, will be held from April 15-18, 2013 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas at which time more than 5,000 industry members will be gathering. Freeman will be presented with this special honor at the "CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards" ceremony to take place on Thursday evening, April 18, in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon, will host the final night gala awards program.

"As one of the most esteemed actors of our time, Morgan Freeman has portrayed some of the most memorable characters ever to appear on film. From 'Driving Miss Daisy,' 'Glory,' 'The Shawshank Redemption' and 'Unforgiven' to 'Million Dollar Baby,' for which he won an Academy Award, and the recent Batman ‘The Dark Knight Trilogy,' Freeman's presence exudes a dignity, charm and soul unmatched by any other actor," noted Neuhauser. "We could not be more honored and privileged to have him be our recipient of the ‘2013 Cinema Icon Award.'"

Freeman can be seen later this spring in "Now You See Me," which is set to be released by Summit Entertainment, a Lionsgate company, on May 31, 2013. The film, which pits an elite FBI squad against a group of the world's greatest illusionists who pull off a series of daring heists, also stars Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Common, José Garcia and Michael Caine. He can also be seen on April 19 in the sci-fi actioner "Oblivion" and later this year in the comedy "Last Vegas" and the action-adventure film "The Last Knights," and he will be lending his voice to the live-action/animated "LEGO: The Piece of Resistance."

One of the most recognizable figures in American cinema, Freeman's works are among the most critically and commercially successful films of all time. He won the Academy Award® in 2005 for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "Million Dollar Baby," and won the Golden Globe® in 1990 for Best Actor for his performance in "Driving Miss Daisy." In 2012, he was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes®, and in 2011 he received the 39th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor for his distinguished acting. His additional film credits include "Street Smart," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Invictus," for which he also received Academy Award® nominations, "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Bucket List," "Glory" and "Amistad," to name a few. He has also narrated two Academy Award®-winning feature documentaries: "The Long Way Home" (1998) and "March of the Penguins" (2006).