Hugh Jackman to Receive Kirk Douglas Award at Santa Barbara Film Fest

Hugh Jackman, the Australian movie star with both blockbusters and an Oscar nomination to his name, has been chosen as the 13th recipient of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.

The honor will be presented to the 49-year-old — who is in the Oscar race this year for his portrayal of Gary Hart in Jason Reitman‘s The Front Runner — on Nov. 19 at a black-tie gala dinner at the Ritz Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara, with all proceeds going to SBIFF’s free year-round educational programs.

“I am delighted that Hugh Jackman will receive the 13th annual Kirk Douglas Award,” Douglas, who turned 101 last Dec. 9, said Monday in a statement. “He’s an exceptional talent of stage and screen, and one of the nicest people in the business. It’s my honor to have my name linked with his on this year’s award.”

Past recipients of SBIFF’s Kirk Douglas Award, which goes “to a lifelong contributor to cinema through their work in front of the camera, behind, or both,” include Douglas, John Travolta, Ed Harris, Quentin Tarantino, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Forest Whitaker, Jessica Lange, Jane Fonda, Warren Beatty and, last year, Judi Dench.