Actor and sometime director
John Turturro will emcee the 1998 Independent Spirit Awards on March 21. Turturro, a former keynote speaker at the event, follows such past anchors as
Buck Henry,
Robert Townsend and
Samuel L. Jackson.
"John has brought a wonderful, buoyant quality whenever he's participated in our events," said IFP/West exec director
Dawn Hudson. "We're really excited about his participation and know he'll bring a lot of vitality to the awards."
Since making his film debut in "Raging Bull," Turturro has appeared in close to three dozen films. Best known for his work with directors
Spike Lee and
Joel Coen (including the upcoming "The Great Lebowski"), he's also appeared in such films as "Quiz Show," "The Sicilian," "Men of Respect" and "Unstrung Heroes." His work in "Box of Moonlight" is among this year's nominees for best actor at the Spirits.
In 1992, he directed and starred in "Mac," a paean to his family and father, which premiered at Cannes' Directors Fortnight and earned him a Spirit nomination for direction. He recently completed his second film behind the camera, "Illuminata."
Jackson and
Jodie Foster serve as this year's Spirit Awards honorary chairs.
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