Holly Hunter to Receive Distinguished Actor Award from Costume Designers Guild on February 21 at Costume Designers Guild Awards.

Entertainment Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 30, 2004

Academy Award(R)-winning actress Holly Hunter ("The Piano") and current Supporting Actress nominee (for "Thirteen") will receive the honorary Invicta Distinguished Actor Award from the Costume Designers Guild (CDG) during the organization's Sixth Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards on Saturday, February 21, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, it was announced today by CDG President Deborah Nadoolman Landis. Last year CDG honored Dustin Hoffman as the first recipient of the Distinguished Actor Award.

Anjelica Huston will be Mistress of Ceremonies of the CDG Awards for the fifth time.

Serving as presenters will be Julie Andrews, Annette Bening, Tim Curry, Geena Davis, Colin Farrell, Chi McBride and others.

"The CDG is most proud to present its Distinguished Actor Award this year to Holly Hunter, a most worthy recipient. Her amazing career of highly diversified leading roles in film, television and stage have been honored and acclaimed across the world. Miss Hunter's acting spans more than 20 years of outstanding and memorable performances that include Best Actress Academy Award(R) nominations for `Broadcast News' in 1987 and `The Firm' in 1993," said Landis.

As previously announced, the following additional honorary awards will also be presented during the Feb. 21 CDG Awards: Anne Cole Hall of Fame Award to Robert Kalloch, Bernard Newman, Howard Greer and Richard Hornung; Bulgari Career Achievement Award for Film to James Acheson; Lacoste President's Award to Tzetzi Ganev and Tomas Velasco and Career Achievement Award for Television to Noel Taylor.

In addition to receiving an Academy Award(R) in 1994 for her remarkable performance as a mute Scottish widow in Jane Campion's "The Piano" (1993), Hunter also received a Golden Globe Award and Best Actress award from The British Academy Awards, the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award, the National Board of Review Award, and the Cannes Film Festival Award.

The same year, Hunter also garnered an Academy Award nomination for her performance as the investigative secretary in "The Firm," based on the John Grisham novel of the same name. In 1987, Hunter was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of a driven career-woman producer in the feature film "Broadcast News." For this role, she received the New York Film Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Film Critics Award, The National Board of Review Award and the Berlin Film Festival Award, all for Best Actress.

Other film credits include the Coen brothers' film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "Home for the Holidays," "Copycat," "Living Out Loud," "Once Around," "Always," "Raising Arizona," "Crash" and "A Life Less Ordinary."

Hunter's next two projects are due out later this year, the romantic comedy "Little Black Book," and she can be heard in the animated film "The Incredibles."

This year's awards are being produced by jLine Productions (www.jlineproductions.com) and Executive Producer JL Pomeroy.

To download a photo of Holly Hunter visit www.oscars.org