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George Clooney to be Honored at 51st Chaplin Award Gala by Stephen Colbert, Sam Rockwell and More

Erik Anderson April 15, 2026

Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) announces speakers to pay tribute to George Clooney at the 51st Chaplin Award Gala, on April 27 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall.

The gala presenters include Emmy and Grammy Award–winning host Stephen Colbert, whose Late Show debut in 2015 featured George Clooney as his first guest; Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies, who starred alongside Clooney in the critically acclaimed drama series ER; Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell, whose breakout performance in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was directed by Clooney; and Emmy Award–winning actor, writer, and director John Turturro, who starred alongside Clooney in the Academy Award–nominated O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Chaplin Award Tribute will feature excerpts from a selection of the renowned actor, director, producer, and humanitarian’s works; appearances by actors, friends, and colleagues; and the presentation of the award.

George Clooney has earned historic recognition, including but not limited to two Academy Awards, with nominations in a record six different categories, as well as multiple Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. His most recent works include starring in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, which premiered at the 63rd New York Film Festival, and he produced Showtime’s The Agency. He is equally acclaimed behind the camera, earning two Academy Award nominations for writing and one for directing. His work has extended to the stage as well, earning a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut in Good Night, and Good Luck.

Clooney holds a longstanding commitment to humanitarian advocacy, and is a leading voice in global human-rights campaigns, especially regarding the crises in Darfur and Sudan. His activism has earned numerous honors, including the Peace Summit Award, designation as a U.N. Messenger of Peace, the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award. Whether advancing storytelling on screen or advocating for vulnerable communities around the world, Clooney has forged a career defined by artistic excellence and global engagement.

The Chaplin Award Gala is Film at Lincoln Center’s premier annual fundraiser with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit’s wide-ranging programs, including film series, educational initiatives, and prestigious festivals like the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films. The Chaplin Award has been bestowed upon legendary actors and filmmakers such as Jeff Bridges, Viola Davis, Robert De Niro, Barbara Streisand, Sidney Poitier, Michael Caine, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Altman, Billy Wilder, and Elizabeth Taylor. A full list of honorees can be found here.

Tribute-only tickets are available here, as well as in person at the box office located within the lobby of Alice Tully Hall. All proceeds from the Chaplin Award Gala benefit Film at Lincoln Center’s programs and activities as a nonprofit organization.

51st Chaplin Award Gala Co-Chairs are Kathy and Kris Heinzelman, Susan and John Hess, Susannah Gray and John Lyons, Imelda and Peter Sobiloff, and Nanna and Dan Stern; and Vice Chairs Ellie and Edgar Cullman, Lisa and Sandy Ehrenkranz, Barry Feirstein, Wendy Keys, Ronnie Planalp, Paula and Ira Resnick, Mary Solomon, and Tara Kelleher and Roy Zuckerberg.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.