Hollywood veteran Al Pacino has been selected to receive the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award, the highest honour presented by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
The 86-year-old actor, known for his roles in “The Godfather” trilogy, “Dog Day Afternoon” and “Scent of a Woman”, will become the 62nd recipient of the award.
Pacino said on Thursday that working with scripts and fellow actors had brought him some of the greatest joys of his life.
“It's an honor to be recognized by SAG-AFTRA in celebrating the journey,” he said in a statement.
He will receive the award on Feb 28 at the 33rd annual Actor Awards ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The event will be streamed live on Netflix.
The award also recognises humanitarian contributions. SAG-AFTRA praised Pacino for supporting disaster relief, efforts to fight hunger and poverty, and local theatre organisations, including the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles.
Born in New York, Pacino was primarily known for his stage performances when director Francis Ford Coppola cast him as Michael Corleone in the 1972 film “The Godfather”. The decision came despite opposition from the studio, which wanted an established star for the role.
The performance earned Pacino an Academy Award nomination and helped establish him as one of the leading actors of his generation.
He received Oscar nominations in each of the following three years for “Serpico”, “The Godfather Part II” and “Dog Day Afternoon”. He won the best actor Oscar in 1993 for “Scent of a Woman”, the same year he was also nominated for supporting actor for “Glengarry Glen Ross”.
Pacino has received nine Academy Award nominations in total, with his most recent coming in 2020 for “The Irishman”.
His other honours include two competitive SAG-AFTRA Actor Awards, two Emmy Awards, four Golden Globes and the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Golden Globes' lifetime achievement honour.
SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin praised Pacino's acting ability, describing him as both a dedicated student of his craft and a master performer.
He said Pacino's courage, intensity and emotional depth had set a high standard for acting, adding that his performances remained entertaining to watch.
Established in 1962, the SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award has previously honoured prominent performers, including Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Pearl Bailey, Frank Sinatra, James Cagney, Katharine Hepburn, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Newman, James Earl Jones, Jane Fonda and Harrison Ford.