Academy to Present a Centennial Celebration with Gloria Stuart 7/22

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will honor Oscar®-nominated actress Gloria Stuart's career in film and celebrate her 100th birthday with a program featuring film clips and an onstage conversation between Stuart and her longtime friend, film historIan Leonard Maltin, on Thursday, July 22, at 7:30 p.m., at Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Born July 4, 1910, in Santa Monica, Stuart attended the University of California at Berkeley and began her acting career on the stage, making her movie debut in the 1932 pre-Code drama "Street of Women." From the 1930s through the mid-'40s, her many appearances as a stunning blonde ingenue included roles in James Whale's pioneering horror films "The Old Dark House" and "The Invisible Man." She dabbled in musicals, appearing as Dick Powell's love interest in "Gold Diggers of 1935" and as Queen Anne alongside The Ritz Brothers in the 1939 musical comedy version of "The Three Musketeers"; worked with director John Ford on "Air Mail" and "The Prisoner of Shark Island"; and played opposite Shirley Temple in "Poor Little Rich Girl" and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm."

Stuart joined the Screen Actors Guild in 1933, becoming member No. 843 and subsequently serving for several years on its national board. She is the sole surviving board member from the 1930s.

Stuart changed paths in the late 1940s to pursue a successful career in the fine arts, returning to acting in the 1970s. In 1997, at the age of 87, her memorable performance in "Titanic" as a centenarian survivor of the ship's sinking endeared Stuart to a whole new generation of moviegoers and earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Stuart remains the oldest performer to have been nominated for an Academy Award®.

Tickets to "An Academy Centennial Celebration with Gloria Stuart" are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office (8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved.

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at the 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

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