The Gregory Peck Award for Cinematic Excellence is an award given at the San Diego International Film Festival (SDIFF) to honor the career achievement of a film actor, producer or director. It is named in memory of iconic actor Gregory Peck with the support of his family.
The award is SDIFF's most prestigious award and headlining presentation at their fanciest formal event Variety's Night of the Stars. [1]
The award originated in 2008 at the Dingle International Film Festival (DIFF) in Ireland with the support and participation of Pecks' family, [2] who chose Dingle because it is the ancestral home of the actor's great-grandmother Catherine Ashe who hailed from Annascaul in the Dingle Peninsula. [3] Its original name was the "Gregory Peck Excellence in the Art of Film Award." [4]
In 2014, the family began presenting the award in San Diego where the actor was born, raised his family and where he founded the La Jolla Playhouse. Since the DIFF was forced to close due to financial reasons in 2019, the award is presented exclusively at SDIFF. [5]
Winners in Dingle were awarded with a design based on "The Aglish Pillar" created by Irish Jeweller Brian de Staic. [6] [7] Winners in San Diego have received a "Golden Eagle Statuette" sculpted by Apache artist Ruben Chato. [8]
| Recipient | Date | Presented by | Venue | Notes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Garcia |  | October 20, 2022 | Cecilia Peck | Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center - La Jolla | [9] | |
| Laurence Fishburne |  | October 18, 2019 | Pendry Hotel - Downtown San Diego | [10] [11] [12] | ||
| Maurice Galway | June 29, 2019 | Anthony Peck | The Phoenix Cinema - Dingle | Presented to the founder of the Dingle IFF upon the occasion of its closing. | [13] [14] | |
| Keith Carradine |  | October 11, 2018 | Cecilia Peck | Pendry Hotel - Downtown San Diego | [15] | |
| Patrick Stewart |  | October 5, 2017 | [16] | |||
| Annette Bening |  | September 29, 2016 | Anthony Peck [17] | Museum of Contemporary Art - La Jolla | [18] | |
| The Peck Family | 2016 | Santa Barbara, California | Presented by DIFF and the Santa Barbara Sister City Board to commemorate Gregory Peck's centenary year. | [19] | ||
| Alan Arkin |  | September 25, 2014 | Museum of Contemporary Art - La Jolla | [20] [21] | ||
| Laura Dern |  | June 16, 2014 | Jim Sheridan | The Blasket Centre, Dún Chaoin | [22] [23] | |
| Jean-Jacques Beineix |  | March 18, 2011 | The Phoenix Cinema - Dingle | [24] | ||
| Stephen Frears |  | March 20, 2010 | [25] [26] | |||
| Jim Sheridan |  | September 11, 2009 | Anthony Peck | [27] [28] | ||
| Gabriel Byrne |  | 2008 | Veronique and Cecilia Peck (In attendance) | Dingle | "Gregory Peck Excellence in the Art of Film Award" | [29] [4] |
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