LOS ANGELES–Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton will present the SAG Life Achievement Award to actor, comedian, writer, producer and all-round entertainment maverick Lily Tomlin during the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, Executive Producer Kathy Connell Tuesday.
Tomlin’s accepting SAG-AFTRA’s highest accolade from her two long-time friends, a trio beloved as the co-conspirators in the 1980 feminist revenge comedy hit “9 to 5,” will be a highlight of the annual SAG Awards ceremony, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on January 29 at 5 p.m.
The film, “9 to 5” is now number 74 on American Film Institute’s list of “100 Funniest American Movies of All Time.” When the film was shot, Fonda and Tomlin were friends who had already received numerous honors for their acting achievements. It was Parton’s first feature film role, but she was a veteran of live and television performances as herself, an award-winning musician and writer. She also wrote, performed and received dozens of awards for the movie’s title song.
The three legendary artists, each of whom has a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, have remained close friends since that catalyst film. Fonda and Tomlin joined forces again as stars and executive producers of the current Netflix series Grace and Frankie. The success of the show led to both being honored this year with Actor nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, along with Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Tomlin. Grace and Frankie returns for its third season in May 2017
A two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner (for Klute and Coming Home) and five-time nominee (for The Morning After, On Golden Pond, The China Syndrome, Julia and They Shoot Horses Don’t They) Fonda was the 2014 recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award. Fonda was first honored with a SAG Award nomination in 2014 as a member of the motion picture cast of Lee Daniels’ “The Butler,” in which she portrayed Nancy Reagan.
For three seasons Fonda appeared as media mogul Leona Lansing in an Emmy nominated performance in Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom, on HBO. More recently, she received a Golden Globe nomination for her stunning performance in Youth, written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Fonda is also known for revolutionizing the fitness industry with videos, books and audio recordings; her 1982 Jane Fonda’s Workout remains the top grossing home video of all time.
Dolly Parton’s multitude of accolades include a Kennedy Center Honor, eight Country Music Association Awards (including Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year), seven Grammy Awards, two Oscar nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, and being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Several of her awards honor the title song she wrote and recorded for the 9 to 5 soundtrack. Parton followed that hit film with starring roles in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982); Rhinestone (1984); Steel Magnolias (1989); and Straight Talk (1992). Most recently she starred in and executive produced Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love (2016) for NBC. Parton also released Pure & Simple, her seventh album to debut at No. 1, and The Complete Trio Collection, capping the popular series she shares with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
Parton has the distinction of writing the only song to have topped the charts three times: “I Will Always Love You.” She has taken more than 20 songs to No. 1, has written two successful books plus a cookbook, and has also launched and runs the non-profit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which provides children in participating communities in 44 states with a book each month from birth until age five.
