Commencement 2007 Remarks
Frank Price, Board of Councilors chair and chairman and CEO of Price Entertainment
Having spent over half a century in the entertainment business, I found the dean’s comments about successive generations constantly building on one another to be right on the money.
Echoing her sentiment, I would add that the experiences of the past form a vibrant roadmap for us as we press into the future.
Today it is my great pleasure to introduce a man who, over the course of his nearly 50-year career, has created a canon of work that profoundly underscores this principle.
He began as an actor in the 1950s, where his performances on television’s Rawhide made him a nationally recognized star.
His move to the big screen in Sergio Leone’s Man With No Name, For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, brought him international acclaim.
In these films, he redefined the traditional Western role. Audiences had to look beyond the “hero wears white/villain wears black” stereotype and understand that the real world lies in between the extremes.
Challenging convention would continue as the hallmark of his work for the ensuing decades—both in front of the camera and behind.
As an actor, his roles run the gamut from playing tough anti-heroes to eccentric comic characters.
As a director, his efforts cover an equally broad range, from chronicling Jazz great Charlie “Bird” Parker to depicting the living hell of Iwo Jima.
Nominated a total of ten times for the Oscar, he has brought the trophy home on four occasions.
Today, we celebrate this remarkable lifetime of achievement with the first Honorary Alumni Award that the School of Cinematic Arts has ever conferred.
As one of the USC’s highest accolades, the Honorary Alumni Award serves to recognize people who demonstrate loyalty, interest and service to their community or their profession in the spirit of the mission of the university.
It also recognizes those who make personal contributions to their profession and serve as role models for the generations that follow.
Given those criteria, I can think of no one more deserving of this award than today’s recipient.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Mr. Clint Eastwood.
