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The Robert Osborne Award
George Stevens, Jr. is a writer, director, producer, playwright, author, and champion of American film. He has achieved an extraordinary creative legacy spanning more than 60 years, encompassing enduring cinematic and artistic productions that have enlightened audiences worldwide, and enriched the nation’s cultural heritage.
On January 4, 2025, President Joe Biden awarded Stevens the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor. The White House recognized Stevens for his “dedication to preserving and celebrating American film and the performing arts…and his creativity and vision that have helped redeem the soul of a nation founded on the power of free expression.”
Stevens recounts his creative life in MY PLACE IN THE SUN: Life in the Golden Age of Hollywood and Washington, an intimate account of his show business family spanning five generations, and his own career in Hollywood and Washington. Historian Michael Beschloss praised Stevens “…for not only writing a great book but for being a great artist, a great statesman, and a great friend of democracy in a time that needs it.” Steven Spielberg observed: “George Stevens, Jr. created his own place in the sun and has stood the test of time through his contribution to the culture of the motion picture and all forms of the creative arts.” Stevens’ memoir, recently released in paperback, is also available on Audible and Amazon as recorded by the author.
Stevens has earned 15 Emmys; two Peabody Awards for Meritorious Service to Broadcasting; the Humanitas Prize; 8 awards from the Writers Guild of America; National Board of Review’s William K. Everson Award for contributions to film history; the Paul Selvin Award for writing that embodies civil rights and liberties; the 2009 Spirit of Anne Frank Award for work upholding Frank’s ideals of hope, justice, and equality; and the Legion d’honneur presented by the Government of the Republic of France. In 1997 Stevens received an Honorary Life Achievement Award from The American Film Institute and in 2012 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented him with an Honorary Oscar for “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement.”
Stevens forged his own unique path in film, public service, and the arts during the Kennedy Administration as the director of the Motion Picture Service at the United States Information Agency (USIA). His productions established what has been called the “golden era” of USIA filmmaking.
Stevens’ appointment in 1967 as the Founding Director of the American Film Institute (AFI) placed him at the forefront of culture, politics, and film preservation. During his tenure, more than 45,000 irreplaceable American films were rescued to be enjoyed by future generations. In 1969 he established the AFI Conservatory which gained a reputation as the finest learning opportunity for aspiring filmmakers.
Stevens is widely credited with bringing style and taste to the national television events he created – including The AFI Life Achievement Award and The Kennedy Center Honors. Stevens co- wrote and produced The Murder of Mary Phagan, starring Jack Lemmon, which received the Emmy for Outstanding Mini-Series in 1988. He wrote and directed Separate But Equal starring Sidney Poitier and Burt Lancaster in 1991 which also won the Emmy for Outstanding Mini-Series. Following its network television broadcast, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund honored Stevens for “his commitment as a filmmaker to making films that raise social consciousness and examine human values.”
Stevens wrote and directed the acclaimed feature length film about his father, George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey (1984) and produced George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin which depicted the wartime experiences of the WWII combat camera unit his father headed. Stevens was the executive producer of The Thin Red Line (1999), nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. In collaboration with his son and creative partner Michael Stevens, he produced the documentary Herblock – The Black & The White on the famed political cartoonist Herbert Block for HBO (2014).
Stevens made his debut as a playwright in 2008 with Thurgood, which opened at the historic Booth Theater on Broadway. The play had an extended run starring Laurence Fishburne as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Fishburne received a Tony nomination and returned to the role in the summer of 2010 with runs at the Kennedy Center and the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. Thurgood was filmed while at the Kennedy Center and shown on HBO in 2011.
In 2006, Alfred A. Knopf published Stevens’ Conversations with the Great Moviemakers of Hollywood’s Golden Age – the first book to bring together the interviews of master moviemakers from the American Film Institute’s Harold Lloyd Master Seminar Series. Conversations with the Great Moviemakers – The Next Generation was released by Knopf in 2012. Both were included in the list of the 100 Greatest Film Books of All Time by the Hollywood Reporter.
Stevens returned to public service as Co-chairman of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities from 2009 to 2016 following his appointment by President Obama, advising on cultural issues, and leading the first American cultural delegation to Cuba.
Stevens resides in Washington, D.C. For more information visit: georgestevensjr.com
EVENTS: GEORGE STEVENS: A FILMMAKER’S JOURNEY (1984) (preceded by the presentation of the Robert Osborne Award), THE TALK OF THE TOWN (1942)
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