Michael Douglas to Receive 2012 Monte Cristo Award

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center will present its 12th annual Monte Cristo Award to legendary film actor and O'Neill alum Michael Douglas in recognition of his monumental achievements and contributions to the American and international theater community. Mr. Douglas embodies the "pioneering spirit, unceasing artistic commitment, and excellence" of America's only Nobel Prize winning playwright Eugene O'Neill. The award will be presented to Mr. Douglas by his wife, Catherine Zeta Jones, at a gala dinner held in his honor at the Edison Ballroom in New York City on Monday, April 16th at 6:30pm.

Michael Douglas got his start as an actor at the O'Neill, spending three summers there in 1966-68, and has served on the board of trustees since 1980. During his time at the O'Neill as a trustee and a supporter, the O'Neill achieved enormous success discovering and nurturing new talent for the stage and became a leading beacon for new work in America. Mr. Douglas remarked, "My time at the O'Neill is one of the greatest influences on my life and career. For an artist, it is a place unique in the world. I am delighted to accept this award from an organization which has helped shape American theater."

Michael Douglas has enjoyed tremendous success as an actor since his breakout role in the TV series The Streets of San Francisco, co-starring with past Monte Cristo Award recipient Karl Malden. Over the last 40 years he has lent his talents to numerous productions, as both actor and producer, including; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The China Syndrome, Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction, Wall Street, Basic Instinct, Falling Down, Traffic, The American President, and many others. Mr. Douglas will begin filming Beyond the Candleabra, a biopic of Liberace, in summer 2012.

Mr. Douglas has two Academy Awards. His first was in 1976 for Best Picture as producer for the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and he won again in 1988, this time for Best Actor, for Wall Street. Mr. Douglas has received three Golden Globes, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute.

The Monte Cristo Award is given to a prominent theater artist in recognition of a distinguished career exemplifying Eugene O'Neill's "pioneering spirit, un ceasing artistic commitment, and excellence." Past recipients of the Award include James Earl Jones, Harold Prince, Kevin Spacey, Neil Simon, Jason Robards, Jr., Edward Albee, August Wilson, Zoe Caldwell, Brian Dennehy, Karl Malden, Arthur & Barbara Gelb and Wendy Wasserstein.

O'Neill Executive Director Preston Whiteway remarked "It is a rare moment when the O'Neill can honor an individual with such far reaching impact on our institution. Michael Douglas defines the ethos of the Monte Cristo Award – pioneering, artistic excellence, and a commitment to theater. His relationship to the O'Neill and to founder George White is profound, and helped to make the O'Neill what it is today. I look forward to a fantastic evening in April."

An announcement of the evening's entertainment and program will be made after the new year.

For sponsorship opportunities, table and ticket reservations, or more information about the O'Neill's Monte Cristo Award dinner, please contact Suzanne Hendrix at 860-443-5378 x217 or shendrix@theoneill.org.

Founded in 1964, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center honors the work of Eugene O'Neill, four-time Pulitzer Prize Winner and America's only playwright to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and is the recipient of two Tony Awards, in 2010 for Regional Theatre, and in 1979 for Theatrical Excellence.

The O'Neill is the country's preeminent organization dedicated to the development of new works and new voices for American theater. It has been home to more than 1,000 new works for the stage and to more than 2,500 emerging artists. Scores of projects developed at the O'Neill have gone on to full production at other theaters around the world, including Broadway, Off-Broadway, and major regional theaters.

O'Neill programs include the National Playwrights Conference, National Music Theater Conference, National Critics Institute, National Puppetry Conference, Cabaret & Performance Conference, and National Theater Institute which conducts semester-long intensive theater training and includes Theatermakers, a six-week summer program; academic credits are awarded for all NTI programs.

In addition, the O'Neill owns and operates the Monte Cristo Cottage as a museum open to the public. Childhood summer home of Eugene O'Neill, the Cottage is a National Historic Landmark.

It addition to its Tony recognition, the O'Neill has received the National Opera Award, the Jujamcyn Award for Theatre Excellence, and the Arts and Business Council Encore Award. For more information, visit www.theoneill.org or email theaterlives@theoneill.org