Jan 19, 2009

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 22, 2009) – Ernest Borgnine, Taye Diggs, Anthony Hopkins, Amy Poehler, SAG President Alan Rosenberg and Susan Sarandon will be presenters at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, executive producer and director Jeff Margolis announced today. The 2009 SAG Awards® ceremony will be simulcast live nationally on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2009 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. CT and 6 p.m. MT from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. An encore presentation will air on TNT at 11 p.m. (ET/PT).  For satellite and HD viewers, the live presentation can be seen on TBS and TNT at 8 p.m. (ET)/5 p.m. (PT), while the encore can be seen on TNT at 11 p.m. (ET)/8 p.m. (PT).

They join a growing roster of actors who will honor their colleagues at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® that already includes Christina Applegate, Angela Bassett, Jon Hamm, John Krasinski, Eric McCormack, Kyra Sedgwick, William Shatner and Forest Whitaker.

Academy Award® winner Ernest Borgnine has appeared in more than 200 movies over the course of his legendary career, which took off in 1953 when he was cast in the role of Sgt. "Fatso" Judson in the classic film “From Here to Eternity” (1953). This memorable performance led to numerous roles, including his portrayal of Marty Piletti in “Marty,” which earned Borgnine both an Oscar® and a Golden Globe® for Best Actor (1956). Borgnine has also received numerous accolades for his work in television, including Emmy® nominations for his roles in popular series such as “McHale’s Navy” (1963), “All Quiet on the Western Front” (1980) and the animated “All Dogs Go to Heaven: The Series” (1996), as well as a Golden Globe nomination for television movie “A Grandpa for Christmas” (2008). Borgnine can next be seen in the upcoming Hallmark Channel movie “Wishing Well,” as well as the feature films “The Lion of Judah” and “One Harvest Moon.”

Actor® winner Taye Diggs portrays Dr. Sam Bennett on the ABC series “Private Practice.”  Diggs’ role in the Academy Award-winning film "Chicago" earned him a 2003 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast of a Motion Picture.  Diggs was last seen starring in the ABC drama "Daybreak" and served as a producer on the project. Diggs starred in the feature film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical "Rent," and was part of the original Broadway cast.

Four-time Academy Award and SAG Award nominee Anthony Hopkins received the Best Acting Oscar for his role in “The Silence of the Lambs.”  Hopkins’ illustrious career includes work on award-winning, critically acclaimed films such as “The Remains of the Day," "Legends of the Fall," "Nixon," "Surviving Picasso," "Amistad," "Meet Joe Black," and "Instinct." He recently completed production on Universal Pictures’ “The Wolfman,” co-starring Benecio Del Toro.

Amy Poehler recently earned her first Emmy nomination for “Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series” for her work on “Saturday Night Live,” becoming the first performer in “SNL” history to be recognized in this category. She recently starred opposite Tina Fey in Universal Pictures’ hit comedy “Baby Mama” and has lent her voice to numerous animated films, including “Horton Hears a Who!” with Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell and “Shrek the Third.” Last year, Poehler created the new Nickelodeon animated television series “The Mighty B,” for which she produced, wrote and provided the voice of “Bessie.” Her other feature credits include hit comedies “Blades of Glory,” and “Mean Girls.” Poehler can be seen in the upcoming untitled NBC comedy series from producers Greg Daniels and Mike Schur (“The Office”) in 2009.

Award-winning actress Susan Sarandon has received both an Oscar and an Actor for her lead performance in the 1995 film, “Dead Man Walking.” Sarandon has earned five Academy Award nominations for best actress in her career for films “Atlantic City” (1981), “Thelma & Louise” (1991), “Lorenzo's Oil” (1992), and “The Client” (1994), which also earned Sarandon a second SAG Awards lead performance nomination. Sarandon’s portrayal of Doris Duke in HBO original film “Bernard and Doris” has earned her a nomination for Outstanding Female Actor in a Television Movie or Mini-Series, her first in this category and third SAG Awards nomination overall. Sarandon can next be seen on Broadway in “Exit the King” with Geoffrey Rush and in Peter Jackson’s “Lovely Bones.”

The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards is produced by Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild Awards®, LLC. Jeff Margolis is the executive producer and director. Kathy Connell is the producer. JoBeth Williams, Daryl Anderson, Shelley Fabares, Paul Napier and Yale Summers are producers for SAG. Gloria Fujita O’Brien and Mick McCullough are supervising producers. Benn Fleishman is executive in charge of production. More information is available online at www.sagawards.org.

Screen Actors Guild is the nation’s largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists’ rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents more than 120,000 actors who work in film, television, industrials, commercials, video games, music videos and all other new media formats. The Guild exists to enhance actors’ working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists’ rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. More information is available online at www.sag.org.

TBS, a division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is television's top-rated comedy network. It serves as home to such original comedy series as "My Boys," "The Bill Engvall Show," "Tyler Perry's House of Payne and “Meet the Browns," "10 Items or Less" and "Frank TV"; hot contemporary comedies like "The Office," "My Name is Earl," "Sex and the City," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Family Guy," "King of Queens," "Seinfeld" and "Friends"; specials like "Funniest Commercials of the Year"; special events, such as "The Comedy Festival" in Las Vegas and "Just For Laughs: A Very Funny Festival" in Chicago; blockbuster movies; and hosted movie showcases. TBS is available in high-definition.

Turner Network Television (TNT), television's destination for drama and one of cable's top-rated networks, offers original movies and series, including the acclaimed and highly popular detective drama "The Closer," starring Kyra Sedgwick; "Saving Grace," starring Holly Hunter; "Raising the Bar," starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben and Jane Kaczmarek; "Leverage," starring Timothy Hutton; and "Trust Me," starring Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanagh. TNT is also home to powerful one-hour dramas, such as "Bones," "Cold Case," "Law & Order," "Without a Trace," "ER" and "Charmed"; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.