The Palm Springs International Film Festival, which has already announced awards for a number of contenders deemed likely to land Oscar nominations, has now decided to honor an actor who's been inexplicably passed over by most voters so far.
Gary Oldman, whose performance in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" is a marvel of understatement, will receive the festival's International Star Award, PSIFF announced on Friday.
“Gary Oldman is a performer whose ability to portray the most extreme of characters is a testament to the enormity of his talent,” said the festival's chairman, Harold Matzner, in a statement. “In 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,' as the embodiment of John le Carré's classic spymaster George Smiley, he combines cunning, pathos, and cold determination when he is brought out of retirement to ferret out a double agent during the Cold War.”
The International Star Award, according to PSIFF, is designed to honor "an actor or actress who has achieved both critical and commercial international recognition throughout their body of work."
Oldman's work includes roles in the "Harry Potter" and "Dark Knight" movies, as well as "Sid and Nancy," "Prick Up Your Ears," "JFK," "Bram Stoker's Dracula," "True Romance" and "The Contender." He has never been nominated for an Oscar.
Previously announced PSIFF honorees, all of whom will receive their honors at the festival's awards gala on Saturday, January 7, include George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Michelle Williams, Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Michel Hazanavicius and the creative team behind the film "Young Adult." The festival is expected to complete its slate of honorees with one additional announcement.
The awards gala will be held early in the run of the 23rd Palm Springs International Film Festival, which begins on January 5 and runs through January 16.
