Film festival nabs usual suspect as Gabriel Byrne gets award
Gabriel Byrne: Honoured by award for 'Excellence in Film' Photo Getty Images
Tuesday August 19 2008
The ‘Usual Suspects’ star will receive the inaugural Gregory Peck Excellence in the Art of Film Award.
Former Oscar winner Peck, whose grandmother hailed from the Co Kerry town, died in 2003.
He will be represented at the Film Festival by his wife Veronique and children Cecilia and Anthony, who will travel from LA.
Festival director Maurice Galway said: “Gregory Peck once said that the secret of film acting is complete candour with the audience; when you let them see the real you – and this perfectly captures the essence of Gabriel in his many roles and makes him an ideal choice for this new prestigious award.”
Byrne said: “It is an honour to accept an award in memory of a great actor whose work transcends time and continues to inspire.”
Byrne is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for his role in HBO series ‘In Treatment’.
Dublin-born Byrne worked as an archaeologist, a cook, a bullfighter and a Spanish schoolteacher before becoming an actor.
He began his career in rural RTE soap ‘The Riordans’ before starring in almost 45 films including ‘Miller’s Crossing’, ‘Stigmata’ and ‘The Man in the Iron Mask’.
The award will be presented by Ardmore Studios managing director Kevin Moriarty in conjunction with Peck’s family.
Daughter Cecilia said: “My father’s grandmother came from Dingle. His granduncle was the hero, Thomas Ashe, and any time he visited there he had a sense of coming home.”
“So the whole family is looking forward to attending the Dingle Film festival next month.” The festival has commissioned local artist John Holstead to design the award.
The September 11–14 event, now in its second year, will feature a special screening of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ for which Peck won a Best Actor Oscar in 1962, in his role as Atticus Finch.
Cecilia Peck, a filmmaker, will also take part in a public interview discussing her father’s roots in Dingle and his Hollywood career. Other guests will include Oscar-winning documentary maker Barbara Kopple.
