Morgan Freeman will be honored with UCLA’s Spencer Tracy Award, which recognizes outstanding screen performances and professional achievement.
Jason Kaminsky, UCLA campus events commissioner, made the announcement Tuesday. An awards ceremony is scheduled for March 7.
“It was said that Spencer Tracy’s natural style set him apart from actors of his time and set performance standards for future generations,” Kaminsky said. “We think that the same can be said for the acting of Mr. Freeman.”
Freeman won an Oscar for his role helping Clint Eastwood toughen up a woman boxer in “Million Dollar Baby” and has received Oscar nominations for roles in “Street Smart,” “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”
The Tracy Award ceremony will include a video retrospective of Freeman’s career, including his newest film, “Lucky Number Slevin,” which co-stars Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis and Josh Hartnett.
“Spencer Tracy is known by many as one of the finest actors in film history,” Freeman said. “Receiving this award is truly an honor.”
Previous Tracy Award recipients include Jimmy Stewart, Michael Douglas, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks and Anthony Hopkins.