Dutton is a two-time
Tony-nominated and multiple Emmy award-winning actor and director of stage,
television and film. He first became a familiar face to television audiences
around the world for his iconic role as the Baltimore garbage collector, Roc
Emerson, on the popular Fox comedy (produced by HBO), “Roc,” which aired for
three seasons from 1991 to 1994. For the role of Roc, Dutton earned his first
NAACP Image Award, followed by two more wins in 2002 and 2003 for his
roles in the television movies, “10,000 Black Men Named George” and “D.C.
Sniper: 23 Days of Fear,” respectively.
Dutton, who is a native of Baltimore, made his Broadway
debut in 1984 with August Wilson's ”Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,” winning him a Theatre
World Award and a Best Actor Tony
Award nomination.
Six years later, he received another Tony Award nod for Best Actor
in August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” before heading off to Hollywood, landing
more television roles and collecting acting accolades along the
way.
In 1999, Dutton received both Emmy and NAACP
Image award nominations for his guest-starring role as Alvah Case on the HBO
hit prison drama, “Oz.” A
year later, he directed the critically-acclaimed and gritty HBO miniseries,
“The Corner.” “The Corner” won several Emmys, including Outstanding
Miniseries and Outstanding
Writing for a Miniseries or a Movie. Dutton picked up an Emmy
Award for Outstanding
Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special. As the Yale-trained actor
continued to show the range of his acting abilities, the nominations and awards
just kept on coming. He won back-to-back Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2003 for
Outstanding Guest Actor for his roles in “The
Practice” and “Without a
Trace,” respectively.
“Charles
Dutton is a tour de force to be reckoned with whether he’s on stage or the
screen -- big or small,” says Ayuko Babu, executive director of the Pan African
Film Festival. “Through his craft, he’s a chameleon and a master storyteller.
With an authoritative, booming voice, he brings a larger-than-life presence to
all his roles, captivating audiences and delivering riveting performances each
and every time.”
Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement
Award include Oscar-winner Louis Gossett Jr., Tony award-winner Phylicia
Rashad, Emmy award-winning actors Loretta Devine and Glynn Turman, the honorable
Ambassador Andrew Young as well as award winning actresses Marla Gibbs and Dr.
Della Reese -- just to name a few.
The
22nd annual PAFF will be held on February 6-17, 2014 at the new Rave Cinemas
Baldwin Hills 15 at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza in Los Angeles. PAFF is the
grant recipient of the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Arts
Commission. The festival thanks the generous support of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza and
RAVE Cinemas. For more information,
visit www.PAFF.org.
“CONVERSATION
WITH … CHARLES DUTTON” | “From Jail to Yale: Serving Time on Stage”
Saturday, February 8, 2014 | 7:45
p.m.Rave Cinemas Baldwin Hills 15 at the Baldwin Hills
Crenshaw Plaza
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
“I used to be a hardcore,
hard-hearted guy. Once you make the decision to change, all kinds of things
happen.”
– Charles Dutton
– Charles Dutton
Interestingly,
before
Dutton’s success on the Great White Way and Hollywood, he was a juvenile
delinquent, in and out of reform school and correctional facilities, since the
age of 12. As a youth, he hung around the wrong crowd
and dropped out of school before finishing middle school. By the time he was 26, Dutton had spent roughly 12 years of his life in a
penitentiary for back-to-back convictions.
Interestingly, while in prison, Dutton found his passion
for acting and directing. Several months into his second prison term, Dutton was
sent to solitary confinement. He was allowed one book, and by accident, grabbed
an anthology of black playwrights. While in confinement, he enjoyed the plays so
much that upon his release, he petitioned the warden to form a drama group. The
warden agreed on the condition that Dutton finish his education and get his
GED.
While incarcerated, Dutton not only completed his
studies, but also earned a two-year college degree in 1976, the same year he was
paroled. After serving his time, the ex-con enrolled as a drama major at Towson
State University -- now known as Towson University – graduated, and went on to earn a master's degree in
acting from the prestigious Yale School of Drama.
In PAFF’s
“Conversation With …” series, Dutton will share his inspirational story
with straight talk and humor in a one-man show titled, “From Jail to Yale:
Serving Time on Stage.”
OTHER
HONOREES:
The
Pan African Film Festival Set To Honor Rising
Stars
In
a year, celebrating the unprecedented number of black films hitting theatres
nationwide, its only fitting that Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) recognizes
two rising stars for their outstanding breakout performances in film. In
recognizing some fresh faces of Young Hollywood , the festival will honor
actors Emayatzy Corinealdi and
Tequan Richmond with the Beah Richards
and Canada Lee Rising Star Awards, respectively. PAFF’s “Rising
Star” awards are named after actors Canada Lee and Oscar-nominee Beah Richards,
who pioneered roles for African Americans in film, television and stage, and
sparked civil rights activism in their work. For the social media release,
visit:
http://pitch.pe/1cjz55f
The
Pan African Film Festival Set To Honor Industry
Trailblazers
The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF)
recently announced it will honor two industry innovators for their impact and
influence in the film industry. Studio film publicist Roz Stevenson of Roz
Stevenson Public Relations and Jeff Clanagan of CodeBlack Enterprises will be
honored at the festival’s annual Night of Tribute ceremony on Friday, January 31,
2014. For the social media release, visit: http://pitch.pe/1fBwOJh
ABOUT THE PAN AFRICAN FILM
FESTIVAL
Gearing up
for its 22nd anniversary, the Pan African Film and Arts Festival
(PAFF), is America's largest and most prestigious Black film festival. Each
year, it screens more than 150 films made by and/or
about people of African descent from the United States, Africa, the Caribbean,
South America, the South Pacific, Latin America, Europe and Canada. PAFF holds
the distinction of being the largest Black History Month event in the
country.
PAFF
was founded in 1992 by
award-winning actor Danny Glover (“The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon” movie
franchise), Emmy Award-winning actress Ja’Net DuBois (best known for her role as
Willona in the tv series, “Good
Times”) and executive director, Ayuko Babu, an international legal, cultural and
political consultant who specializes in African Affairs. PAFF is a non-profit corporation
dedicated to the promotion of ethnic and racial respect and tolerance through
the exhibit of films, art and creative
expression.
The goal
of PAFF is to present and showcase
the broad spectrum of Black creative works, particularly those that reinforce
positive images, help to destroy negative stereotypes and depict an expanded
vision of the Black experience. PAFF believes film and art can lead to better
understanding and foster communication between peoples of diverse cultures,
races, and lifestyles, while at the same time, serve as a vehicle to initiate
dialogue on the important issues of our times.
For
more information, please visit www.PAFF.org or call (310)
337-4737.
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