Pat Hingle,
a Wilmington actor known for his roles in film and
theater, will receive the 2005 Distinguished Filmmaker
Award on Feb. 26 from the Department of Broadcasting
and Cinema.
The honor has been named one of North Carolina's “most
distinguished media awards” by Reel Carolina
magazine.
A veteran of 110 films, starting with “On the
Waterfront,” Hingle still loves the theater,
playing Ben Franklin in the Broadway revival of “1776”
at age 80. He starred in such major productions as
William Inge's “Dark at the Top of the Stairs,”
Tennessee Williams’s “Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof,” and in the one-man show “Thomas
Edison: Reflections of a Genius.” Among his
film roles are “Splendor in the Grass,”
“The Grifters,” “The Falcon and
the Snowman,” and the “Batman” movies
(as Commissioner Gordon).
The 2005 award will be presented at the Winners’
Night of the 28th Annual Carolina Film and Video Festival
on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Carolina Theatre in downtown
Greensboro. Hingle will also be available for a free,
open to the public, question and answer program at
3 p.m. that day in the Brown Building Auditorium on
the UNCG campus.
Nominees for the honor are submitted by heads of academic
programs and by CEOs of film-related institutions
and companies. The winner is chosen by the UNCG Broadcasting
and Cinema Advisory Committee, chaired by Lee Kinard.
The award is presented each year to a person who has
an exceptional individual achievement or a career
profile of excellence in filmmaking in North Carolina
or featuring North Carolina subjects and/or locales.
The award will be presented by Francine DeCoursey,
a UNCG Broadcasting and Cinema alumna active in the
Wilmington film community and member of the Broadcasting
and Cinema Advisory Committee.
“Not only is Pat Hingle a multi-dimensional,
brilliant actor of stage and screen, but his heart
is as huge as his talent. His contribution to the
North Carolina film community has been immeasurable.
He has actively supported our independent film movement
by performing, even investing in, locally-produced,
low-budget indies, giving instant credibility to some
fortunate aspiring filmmakers,” DeCoursey said.
“A long-time supporter of the Screen Actor's
Guild, Mr. Hingle has also been a strong voice endorsing
a N.C. Film Incentive package.”
Previous winners of the North Carolina Distinguished
Filmmaker Award have included Frank Capra Jr. (who
will be in attendance Feb. 26 to honor Hingle), Earl
Owensby and Jacob H. Froelich Jr.
PAT HINGLE
Pat Hingle moved to North Carolina after starring
in the DEG production of Maximum Overdrive (1986)
and decided to “retire” here on Carolina
Beach. Veteran of 110 films, starting with On the
Waterfront, he still loves the theatre, playing Ben
Franklin in the Broadway revival of 1776 at age 80.
He starred in such major productions as William Inge's
Dark at the Top of the Stairs, Archibald MacLeish's
JB, Tennessee Williams’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
and in the one-man show Thomas Edison: Reflections
of a Genius. Among his many film roles, he has appeared
in Splendor in the Grass, The Ugly American, Sudden
Impact, The Grifters, The Falcon and the Snowman,
and the Batman movies (as Commissioner Gordon).
Hingle has been a champion of independent film for
two decades in North Carolina. When Alexander "Sandy"
Johnson, a North Carolina aspiring filmmaker, approached
Hingle to be in his first film, not only did Hingle
lend his name and do a cameo to assist in securing
the funding, but he became a mentor to Johnson, assisting
him in rewriting the script, and sharing his years
of insight into the production business. Over the
next several years, Johnson and Hingle did several
North Carolina based indie projects together, including
Wild Ride, a pilot for a TV series, a Tar Heel Ghosts
series, etc. Hingle then served as executive producer
and helped raise $1 million for the production of
Jerry Bledsoe's Angel Doll.
