In recognition of his portrayal of the composer Leonard Bernstein in the Netflix film Maestro, which he also co-wrote and directed, Bradley Cooper will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the fest announced Thursday.
Cooper, 48, will be feted at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, with a career-retrospective conversation, followed by the presentation of the fest’s award, which has previously been presented to Cate Blanchett, Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis, Sacha Baron Cohen, Adam Driver, Rami Malek, Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan, Steve Carell, Jennifer Lawrence, Viola Davis, James Franco, Colin Firth, Penelope Cruz, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet and Charlize Theron.
“Nine-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper has proven to be an actor of incredible range and versatility,” SBIFF executive director Roger Durling said in a statement. “What has impressed me the most is that he has also grown to be one of the most indelible directing voices. He’s a renaissance man — an outstanding performer indeed!”
The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will run Feb. 7-17, 2024. Previously announced honorees include Oppenheimer’s Robert Downey Jr. and Poor Things’s Mark Ruffalo. Additional honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.
