Patricia Clarkson To Receive ShoWest Acting Award 3/30-4/2

Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning actress Patricia Clarkson will receive the ShoWest Independent Award for Excellence in Acting, it was announced today by Mitch Neuhauser, co-managing director of the event, which will be held March 30-April 2, 2009, in Las Vegas. Clarkson will be presented with the ShoWest Independent Award for Excellence in Acting at a special luncheon "Celebrating the Importance of Independent and Specialty Film" on Thursday, April 2, at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.

"With a diverse resume that includes work on stage, television and the big screen, Patricia Clarkson's work has earned her great accolades and success around the world," noted Neuhauser. "We could not be more honored to present such a highly respected and talented actress as Patricia Clarkson with the ShoWest Independent Award for Excellence in Acting."

This summer, Clarkson can be seen in Woody Allen's "Whatever Works," a Sony Pictures Classics release opening on June 19. An eccentric New Yorker, played by Larry David, abandons his upper class life to lead a more bohemian existence. He meets a young girl from the south and her family; and no two people seem to get along in the entanglements that follow. This comedy also stars Ed Begley Jr., Conleth Hill, Michael McKean, Evan Rachel Wood, and a number of other amusing types.

Clarkson can also be seen this year in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island," with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Michelle Williams; and playing the lead role in Ruba Nadda's "Cario Time," filmed in Egypt.

Since making her film debut in Brian De Palma's "The Untouchables," Clarkson has gone on to appear in such films as "Lars and the Real Girl," "Phoebe in Wonderland,""Goodnight, and Good Luck," "Far From Heaven," and "The Green Mile," to name just a few. Her work in the independent film "Pieces of April" earned her nominations for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG Award, Broadcast Film Critics Award and an Independent Spirit Award. In addition, her performance in "The Station Agent" earned her a SAG Award nomination for Best Actress and Best Ensemble Cast. The National Board of Review and the National Society of Film Critics named her Best Supporting Actress of the Year for her work in both "Pieces of April" and "The Station Agent," while the Sundance Film Festival awarded her the Jury Prize for Outstanding Performance in "Pieces of April," "The Station Agent" and "All the Real Girls." On television, Clarkson won an Emmy in 2002 and 2006 for her guest-starring role on HBO's acclaimed drama, "Six Feet Under." Clarkson made her professional acting debut on stage. Her theatre credits include "Eastern Standard," "Maidens Prayer," "Raised in Captivity," "Oliver Oliver," "The House of Blue Leaves," and "Three Days of Rain."