Ben Stiller to Receive 26th American Cinematheque Award

The American Cinematheque will honor Ben Stiller with its 26th American Cinematheque Award on Nov. 15 at a gala dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. 

Since 1986, the Cinematheque has given its annual award to an artist in the midst of a successful career, "who is fully engaged in his or her work and is committed to making a significant contribution to the art of the motion picture." Last year's recepient was Robert Downey Jr.

"Ben Stiller is a comedy icon whose wide-ranging talents include acting, directing, writing and producing. He entertains us in front of the camera with unforgettable performances in groundbreaking comedies such as There's Something About Mary and franchises like Meet the Parents and A Night at the Museum.  As a director/actor/writer/producer, he gave us the outrageously funny Tropic Thunder and we can look forward to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty next year. His active production company makes movies that span the genres. To sum it up, Ben Stiller is already a renaissance man of comedy and he's going to be sharing his talents with us for years to come," Cinematheque chairman Rick Nicita said in announcing Stiller's selection by the organization's board of directors.

Stiller is currently appearing on screen in the comedy The Watch and is producing, directing, writing and starring in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which will be released by Fox on Dec. 24, 2013.