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Key members of the Harry Potter cast are offering their tributes to Dame Maggie Smith after she recently passed away. Smith starred in the franchise as Professor McGonagall and stood by the young cast members throughout their childhoods and supported them as they faced exposure to worldwide criticism. Outside of the Harry Potter franchise, Smith earned two Academy Awards for an incredible career that saw her star in Downton Abbey, My House in Umbria, and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969). She passed away on September 27 at 99 years old.

Major cast members have taken to Instagram to celebrate her life with heartfelt reactions. Check out some of their responses below:

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Tom Felton (@t22felton)

Tom Felton offered a detailed explanation of his respect for Smith, even sharing a story about her influence on him. When he was nearly kicked off the set...

Maggie Smith’s half-century-spanning career is being celebrated by her peers.

The iconic actress, best known for her roles in the “Harry Potter” films and “Downton Abbey” franchise, died on September 27. She was 89.

“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” Smith’s sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement shared with IndieWire. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

The statement continued, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days. We thank you for all your kind messages and support and...

Maggie Smith, the legendary British actor whose career on stage and screen spanned more than 60 years, died Friday at the age of 89. Smith was a two-time Oscar winner, earning the lead actress statuette for the title role in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, and supporting actress for her portrayal of an Oscar loser in the anthology comedy California Suite. She also received Oscar noms for her roles in Othello, Travels with My Aunt, A Room with a View and Gosford Park. Her work in television earned her four Emmy awards, three for her role as Violet Crawley, The Dowager Countess of Grantham in PBS’ Downton Abbey. Her fourth Emmy came in 2003 as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series of Movie for her role as an eccentric novelist in the HBO film My House in Umbria. She was Emmy-nominated for her roles in the Great Performances PBS presentation of Suddenly Last Summer,...

the stage and screen icon won two Oscars, four Emmys, and a Tony in her legendary career.

Dame Maggie Smith has been a near-constant presence on stages and screens around the world since the 1950s. Sadly the acting icon passed away on Sept. 27, 2024 at the age of 89. Smith had an uncanny ability to thrive in both comedic and dramatic roles, in period pieces and fantasy epics. During her career, she won two Academy Awards, four Emmys, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Tony. In 2003 when she won her first Emmy for “My House in Umbria,” she became just the 15th person to ever secure the Triple Crown of Acting, winning an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. To date, there have only been 24 to accomplish the feat.

While she won her first Oscar for 1969’s “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (which sadly is not currently streaming), more modern movie fans might...

Maggie Smith, the two-time Oscar and four-time Emmy winner whose work in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Downton Abbey — plus everything before and after — made her one of the most formidable British actors of all time, died Friday. She was 89.

Her sons, actors Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, told the BBC that she died “peacefully in hospital … an intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.”

Best known in recent years for matriarchal roles in seven of the Harry Potter films and the ITV-pbs series Downton Abbey, Smith earned early acclaim with a best actress Oscar...

Dame Maggie Smith, a legendary British star of stage and screen, died Friday at the age of 89.

“It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith,” her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said in a statement to BBC. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the...

Beloved British actress Dame Maggie Smith, best known for her roles in the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89.

Smith’s family confirmed her death in a statement to the BBC. “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September,” they said. “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

Thanks to her affinity for comedic performances, Smith stole the hearts of viewers across generations — from her breakout title role in 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to her work as Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey. Her most widely recognized role was as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter franchise.

Smith is one of 24 actors to achieve the “Triple Crown of Acting,” being awarded a competitive Academy Award,...

Dame Maggie Smith, the British actress who starred in Harry Potter films, the wildly popular Downton Abbey series and scores of other movies, TV shows, West End and Broadway productions in a career that brought two Oscars, five BAFTAs, four Emmys and a Tony Award, died today. She was 89.

Smith’s death was confirmed by her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin. In a statement shared with UK media, they said: “She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.”

Smith was one of the finest British screen and stage stars of her generation and will be remembered for her performances in iconic films and TV shows, including Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. Her...

Chris Cooper is an Oscar-winning actor who has brought his laconic, folksy presence to dozens of movies, many of which have become modern classics. Let’s take a look back at 17 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1951 in Kansas City, Missouri, Cooper cut his teeth in theater before making his film debut at the age of 36 with a lead role in John Sayles‘ “Matewan” (1987). The movie kicked off a decades long collaboration between the actor and director, with the two pairing up for such titles as “City of Hope” (1991), “Lone Star” (1996), “Silver City” (2004) and “Amigo” (2010).

He hit the Oscar jackpot with his supporting turn in Spike Jonze‘s “Adaptation” (2002), a self-reflective comedy about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman‘s (Nicolas Cage) struggles to adapt Susan Orlean‘s (Meryl Streep) nonfiction book “The Orchid Thief.” Cooper played John Laroche, the eccentric, swampy horticulturalist at the center of Orlean’s story.

We know what an American in Paris looks like, but an American in Italy…now that’s all the rage in recent years.

Italian costume designer Nicoletta Ercole, who was Emmy-nominated for her work on HBO film “My House in Umbria,” exclusively told IndieWire that the rise in Italy-set American productions have fumbled when capturing the romantic aesthetic of the nation. From “Mafia Mamma” to “The Book Club: The Next Chapter” to “Spin Me Round,” more and more American productions are opting to film in Italy. Now with Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” set to speed into theaters and the trendy second season of “The White Lotus” awaiting Emmy nominations, it’s proof that Italy is the country of the moment in stateside culture.

Yet according to Ercole, American filmmakers have an antiquated idea of Italian fashion. “They want to see really the Italian style, or in the case of ‘House of Gucci,...

Marisa Tomei was more than reluctant to shed her locks for 1994 film “Only You.”

Tomei, who plays a hopeless romantic determined to find her soulmate, a man identified by her Ouija board when she was a teen, had a major fashion moment onscreen with a stylish bob haircut, starting a trend upon the film’s release in 1994. Robert Downey Jr., Bonnie Hunt, and Billy Zane co-star in the beloved rom-com.

Emmy-winning costume designer Nicoletta Ercole, who also worked on fellow Italy-set productions like “Letters to Juliet,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,” and “My House in Umbria,” recently told IndieWire that Tomei had to be convinced to change up her style.

“Marisa, at the beginning, she arrived right after she won [the Oscar] for ‘My Cousin Vinny.’ She had very long hair,” Ercole explained. “I said, ‘Why can’t you cut it? Like this, it’s normal. It’s nothing special.'”

She continued,...

Sylvester Stallone’s first regular television series role on the Paramount+ mob-themed series “Tulsa King” has put him in this year’s Emmy race. And while it’s not rare for a performer primarily or solely identified with features to find Emmy success, it’s significantly less common for them to generate it in a comedy category, where Stallone presently finds himself in 10th place among series leads in the Gold Derby combined count.

A longshot? Absolutely. But there is certainly plenty of precedent for movie stars shuttling to TV and earning Emmy recognition. Here are 10 examples:

Al Pacino – He won lead actor in a miniseries or movie statues for his portrayal of Roy Cohn in “Angels in America” (2004) and Dr. Jack Kevorkian in “You Don’t Know Jack” (2010). That’s double his number of Oscar wins, Pacino’s lone triumph being for “Scent of a Woman” in 1993. Meryl Streep – Streep...

Theater, film and television writer-director Robert Allan Ackerman died Jan. 10. He was 77.

Nominated twice for Golden Globes and five times for Emmys, Ackerman also received numerous theater directing awards.

Ackerman started out directing at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theatre. In the 1980s his theater productions included Martin Sherman’s Tony nominated “Bent,” starring Richard Gere and David Dukes; John Byrne’s “Slab Boys,” starring Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Val Kilmer and William Mastrosimone’s “Extremities” starring Susan Sarandon. He went on to direct Peter Allen in “Legs Diamond” and Al Pacino in Oscar Wilde’s “Salome.”

When reached for comment, Al Pacino said, “I love Bob. I loved being around him, his aurora, his steady peace. To work with him was joyous. He understood the language of theater art and communicated it with such ease. His gift was intangible and there’s no way of understanding how he created.

Chris Cooper celebrates his 68th birthday on July 9, 2019. The Oscar-winning actor has leant his laconic, folksy presence to dozens of movies, many of which have become modern classics. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1951 in Kansas City, Missouri, Cooper cut his teeth in theater before making his film debut at the age of 36 with a lead role in John Sayles‘ “Matewan” (1987). The movie kicked off a decades long collaboration between the actor and director, with the two pairing up for such titles as “City of Hope” (1991), “Lone Star” (1996), “Silver City” (2004) and “Amigo” (2010).

SEEOscar Best Supporting Actor Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History

He hit the Oscar jackpot with his supporting turn in Spike Jonze‘s “Adaptation” (2002), a self-reflective comedy about screenwriter Charlie Kaufman‘s (Nicolas Cage) struggles to adapt Susan Orlean‘s (Meryl Streep...

If Glenn Close wins at the Oscars as we are predicting for her leading role in “The Wife,” she’ll become the 25th performer to pull off the Triple Crown of acting awards. She already has three Emmys and three Tonys. With this elusive Oscar, she’ll vault into a tie for first place with Maggie Smith for the most number of these awards at seven apiece.

Smith reaped her first bid for one of these prizes (an Oscar nomination) in 1966 and won the last of these three (an Emmy) in 2003 to complete the Triple Crown. That is a time span of 37 years. As Close first contended at the Tonys in 1980, it will have taken her just shy of four decades to run the Triple Crown.

See What do the SAG Awards mean when predicting the Oscars?

Close lost that first Tony bid for her featured role in the musical...

Richard Loncraine ("Five Flights Up," "My House in Umbria") is set to direct the romantic comedy-drama "Finding Your Feet" at Eclipse Films.

The story follows a middle-class, judgmental snob who finds her aspirational world turned upside down as she approaches retirement. Unable to deal with her predicament, she goes into exile with her estranged bohemian sister living in an inner-city project and a keen member of a senior citizens dance group.

Nick Moorcroft and Meg Leonard penned the script while the pair will produce alongside John Sachs and Andrew Berg. Filming begins in October on location in London and Venice.

Source: Variety...

He’s faced off against many movie characters over the years, including an army of Orcs and James Bond, and soon prolific actor Sean Bean will face another formidable foe in The Frankenstein Chronicles, a six-part miniseries set to air on ITV Encore. Bean will play Inspector John Marlott in the 1800’s-set show, a man assigned to capture a killer who melds body parts together in a manner reminiscent of Victor Frankenstein.

Press Release - “ITV today confirmed commission of The Frankenstein Chronicles, a thrilling and terrifying re-imagining of the Frankenstein myth as a six-part period crime drama to be produced by Rainmark Films.

Incorporating elements from the investigative and horror genres with an extraordinary hero at its centre, Inspector John Marlott, played by multi-awarding winning leading actor Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Accused) will be taken on a terrifying journey in pursuit of a chilling and diabolical foe.

There hasn’t been a back-to-back winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series since Blythe Danner took home the statuette for Huff in 2005 and 2006, and that streak won’t be broken this year.

Indeed, 2011 winner Margo Martindale of Justified only appeared on one season of FX’s acclaimed drama, making consecutive wins an impossibility. Nevertheless, there are several women in the Supporting Actress race who aren’t exactly new kids on the Emmy block.

The Good Wife‘s Archie Panjabi, for instance, took home the prize for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series two years ago,...

[1] Last month, I got very excited about reports [2] that Noah Baumbach would be adapting The Corrections for HBO. The Squid and the Whale director struck me as a perfect pick to bring Jonathan Franzen's unhappy family tome to life. Today's news makes me even more certain that HBO will do right by Franzen. The project, which is being directed by Baumbach and penned by Baumbach and Franzen, has now moved into casting -- and the first two choices seem like truly fantastic ones. Dianne Wiest has signed on to play the part of put-upon wife Enid, while Chris Cooper has entered talks to play her husband Alfred, who suffers from Parkinson's disease. More details after the jump. Franzen's novel earned glowing reviews upon its 2001 release, picking up the National Book Award and earning a spot on Time's list of the top 100 English-language novels since 1923. The plot revolves around an...

Oscar winners Dianne Wiest and Chris Cooper have been linked to HBO's adaptation of The Corrections. Noah Baumbach and Scott Rudin are leading the project, which is based on Jonathan Franzen's award-winning 2001 novel. Wiest (In Treatment) and Cooper (My House In Umbria) are expected to play the central Midwestern couple in the story, while their three adult children (more)...

Exclusive: HBO is going for some serious acting firepower on the Noah Baumbach/Scott Rudin drama The Corrections. The pay cable network has Oscar winner Chris Cooper in negotiations and two-time Oscar winner Dianne Wiest set for the two leads in the project based on Jonathan Franzen’s book, which is yet to be formally greenlighted to pilot. The award-wining 2001 novel revolves around the troubles of an elderly Midwestern couple, to be played by Cooper and Wiest, and their three adult children — roles that are now being cast — as they trace their lives from the mid-20th century to “one last Christmas” together near the turn of the millennium. Baumbach and Franzen co-wrote the adaptation, with Baumbach set to direct the pilot. Rudin, who had been developing the project for a decade, originally as a feature, is executive producing with Baumbach and Franzen. ICM-repped Wiest, whose previous HBO series role...

It is youth vs. experience as Evan Rachel Wood ("Mildred Pierce") battles Dame Maggie Smith ("Downton Abbey") for the Emmy Award as Best TV Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actress. Our exclusive Gold Derby statistics show a virtual dead heat with Wood's 27/20 odds slightly ahead of the 8/5 odds for Smith. -Inserts:25- Wood is the only lady in this competition without a major award on her mantle. In the HBO miniseries, she played Veda Pierce, the outspoken and conniving daughter of Mildred (Kate Winslet). She is being predicted to win by four experts, six editors, and 28% of our users (157 votes). Smith is a two-time Oscar champ ("The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," 1969; "California Suite," 1978) and Emmy winner ("My House in Umbria," 2003). For this British production which aired on PBS in America, she played Violet, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, and was always quick with a quip or putdown. She is the overwhe.

HollywoodNews.com: The 2010 Primetime Emmy Awards will air toinght, and two stars from the “Harry Potter” films have been nominated for awards in non-Potter projects.

Michael Gambon and Maggie Smith have both been nominated in the “Miniseries or TV Movie” categories, with Gambon receiving an Outstanding Supporting Actor nod for his portrayal of Mr. Woodhouse in the PBS/BBC remake of Jane Austen’s Emma, and Smith’s nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of Mary Gilbert in HBO’s Capturing Mary.

Gambon was previously nominated for an Emmy in 2002, for his role as President Lyndon Johnson in the drama “Path to War”. Maggie Smith has been nominated three other times for an Emmy: in 1993 for the drama “Suddenly, Last Summer”; in 2000 for “David Copperfield” (which also starred a then-unknown Daniel Radcliffe as the title character); and in 2003 for the drama “My House in Umbria”, for which she...

Looking at director Richard Loncraine's resume, he's a difficult man to put a finger one.  He won an Emmy as part of the directing team on HBO's "Band of Brothers" and picked up Emmy nods for the HBO telefilms "My House in Umbria" and "The Gathering Storm."    With Ian McKellen's "Richard III," he helmed one of the most acclaimed Shakespeare films of recent years, following that up with a tennis romance ("Wimbledon"), a Harrison Ford thriller ("Firewall") and a Renee Zellweger period piece.   Loncraine's new film is HBO's "The Special Relationship," the third film in writer Peter Morgan's trilogy...

Benno Furmann Scales A Slippery Slope

By

Alex Simon

German actor Benno Furmann was born in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 1972, cutting his acting chops on two high-profile German miniseries in his late teens, and then moved to the States shortly thereafter to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in New York. After appearing in high-profile titles such as Richard Loncraine's My House in Umbria, the Oscar-nominated Ww I drama Merry Christmas, the Wachowski brothers' Speed Racer, and Christian Petzold's Jerichow, Benno Feurmann's star is further on the rise with the U.S. release of North Face, director Philipp Stoelzl's harrowing drama about two moutaineers (Furmann and Florian Lukas) in 1936 attempting to scale Switzerland's foreboding Eiger moutain, with the Nazi propaganda machine prodding them on what is seemingly a suicide mission for the glory of the Fatherland. Winner of the 2009 German Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay, the film co-stars Johanna Wokalek,...

LONDON -- Comedian Ronnie Barker, half of the famous duo in television's The Two Ronnies and the indomitable Fletch in prison sitcom Porridge, has died. He was 76. The portly star died peacefully on Monday in the presence of his wife after a history of heart trouble. Tributes poured in for one of the United Kingdom's best-loved comics. Michael Hurll, a producer on The Two Ronnies, said Barker's partnership with the diminutive Ronnie Corbett ranked alongside that of British comic duo Morecambe and Wise in importance. Barker's feature roles included Churchill's butler in The Gathering Storm starring Albert Finney, the General in My House in Umbria starring Maggie Smith, and Friar Tuck in Robin and Marian starring Sean Connery.

LONDON -- Comedian Ronnie Barker, half of the famous duo in television's The Two Ronnies and the indomitable Fletch in prison sitcom Porridge, has died. He was 76. The portly star died peacefully on Monday in the presence of his wife after a history of heart trouble. Tributes poured in for one of the United Kingdom's best-loved comics. Michael Hurll, a producer on The Two Ronnies, said Barker's partnership with the diminutive Ronnie Corbett ranked alongside that of British comic duo Morecambe and Wise in importance. Barker's feature roles included Churchill's butler in The Gathering Storm starring Albert Finney, the General in My House in Umbria starring Maggie Smith, and Friar Tuck in Robin and Marian starring Sean Connery.

British helmer Richard Loncraine is reteaming with his Wimbledon star Paul Bettany on the Harrison Ford starrer The Wrong Element, a Warner Bros. Pictures release. The Joe Forte script revolves around the security chief (Harrison) of a global bank whose family is kidnapped. Mark Pellington was originally on board to direct. In addition to Wimbledon, Loncraine's credits include Richard III, Brimstone & Treacle and The Missionary. He also directed HBO Films' My House in Umbria, for which he was nominated for an Emmy and a DGA Award, and HBO Films' The Gathering Storm, which won an Emmy as outstanding made for television movie in 2002. Warners and Village Roadshow are co-financing the feature, with Jon Shestack and Beacon Communications president Armyan Bernstein producing. Village Roadshow's Bruce Berman will serve as executive producer. The studio has yet to set a start date for the feature, which was due to shoot in the fall. Jeff Clifford is the Warners exec overseeing; Dana Goldberg is the Village Roadshow executive on the project. Loncraine is repped by Endeavor.

A romantic trifle set amid the glamour and competition of professional tennis, Wimbledon boasts appealing leads and dazzling court play, but the film never rises above its by-the-numbers plot to generate emotional heat. As a genial crowd-pleaser, it looks likely to achieve a midrange ranking.

In his first romantic-comedy leading role, Paul Bettany is highly watchable and makes a likable rooting interest -- to the extent that the film generates viewer involvement. He plays Peter Colt, a thirtysomething tennis player who has never quite realized his potential. Once the No. 11 player in the world, the Brit is now ranked 119th and ready to retire in defeat. But before he starts his new job as tennis director at a posh country club -- where the older female members are more than eager for his instruction -- he gets a final, wild-card shot at Wimbledon.

His last hurrah quickly turns interesting with some off-the-court action. After meeting cute, he and rising star Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) begin an affair. She believes that "a little fooling around can be good for your game" and goes after what she wants. But while their romance proves a boon to Peter's game, it has a less-than-salutary effect on Lizzie's. Her protective manager dad (Sam Neill), sensing that this is more than a fling, warns Peter off -- to no avail.

As he moves up the rankings, Peter must face off against his practice partner, Dieter (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and a nasty young American (Austin Nichols) who used to date Lizzie. He also deals with a collection of mildly quirky characters, including his wealthy, bickering parents (Bernard Hill and Eleanor Bron) and his layabout brother (James McAvoy), who has made something of a career out of betting against Peter. Jon Favreau shows up in the stock role of an endorsement-minded sports agent.

The script by Adam Brooks, Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin makes superficial dips into the psychology of the game and offers a few moments of salty repartee between the leads. But it's light enough on character that director Richard Loncraine (Richard III, My House in Umbria) is not above such fill-ins as the first-date pop-song montage or the schmaltz of a shooting star.

Bettany conveys Peter's charm and his awakening when smitten, while Dunst is exuberant and self-confident as Lizzie. Hampered by the script, neither gets across the intensity and resolve that make a world-class athlete.

But they're both agile on the court. Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, served as tennis consultant, and much of the action unfolds at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, home of the Wimbledon championships. Loncraine and cinematographer Darius Khondji provide viewers a perspective on the matches never before seen, and CGI effects create breathtaking volleys. Commentary by John McEnroe and Chris Evert makes the significance of each serve crystal-clear for nonfans of tennis. Off the court, tech credits are solid but unremarkable.

The film is dedicated to Mark McCormack, the late founder of sports marketing company IMG.

WIMBLEDON

Universal Pictures

StudioCanal presents a Working Title production

Credits:

Director: Richard Loncraine

Screenwriters: Adam Brooks, Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin

Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Liza Chasin, Mary Richards

Executive producers: Debra Hayward, David Livingstone

Director of photography: Darius Khondji

Production designer: Brian Morris

Music: Edward Shearmur

Costume designer: Louise Stjernsward

Editor: Humphrey Dixon

Cast:

Lizzie Bradbury: Kirsten Dunst

Peter Colt: Paul Bettany

Dennis Bradbury: Sam Neill

Ron Roth: Jon Favreau

Edward Colt: Bernard Hill

Augusta Colt: Eleanor Bron

Dieter Prohl: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

Carl Colt: James McAvoy

Jake Hammond: Austin Nichols

Themselves: John McEnroe, Chris Evert, Mary Carillo, John Barrett

MPAA rating: PG-13

Running time -- 98 minutes...

The Cinema Audio Society on Wednesday announced its nominees for outstanding achievement in sound mixing. Noms in the motion picture categories were given to New Line Cinema's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 20th Century Fox's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, the Walt Disney Co.'s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Warner Bros. Pictures' The Last Samurai and Universal's Seabiscuit. In the movies and miniseries television heat are CBS' A Painted House and Hitler: The Rise of Evil (Part 2) and HBO's And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself Angels in America (Part 2) and My House in Umbria.

A king and three jewels in HBO's crown took top honors Saturday at the 15th annual Producers Guild of America Awards as the guild selected The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as best picture and HBO's My House in Umbria, Six Feet Under and Sex and the City in the television categories. A fifth competitive category, for reality TV, went to Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The PGA honors are watched closely because 10 of the past 14 winners of the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in theatrical motion picture have gone on to win the Academy Award. That honor this year went to King and producers Barrie Osborne, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. "After this long journey to produce these three pictures to receive this award is the greatest of honors," Osborne said Saturday at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

A king and three jewels in HBO's crown took top honors Saturday at the 15th annual Producers Guild of America Awards as the guild selected The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as best picture and HBO's My House in Umbria, Six Feet Under and Sex and the City in the television categories. A fifth competitive category, for reality TV, went to Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. The PGA honors are watched closely because 10 of the past 14 winners of the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in theatrical motion picture have gone on to win the Academy Award. That honor this year went to King and producers Barrie Osborne, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. "After this long journey to produce these three pictures to receive this award is the greatest of honors," Osborne said Saturday at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

HBO scored three of the five DGA Award nominations Thursday for outstanding directorial achievement in telefilms. The noms went to Jane Anderson's Normal, Richard Loncraine's My House in Umbria and Mike Nichols' Angels in America. The other nominees are Jeff Bleckner's Meredith Willson's The Music Man and Rod Holcomb's The Pentagon Papers, from FX.

What exactly does it take to get a break as a television writer in Hollywood, much less an Emmy nomination? Well, according to eight Emmy-nominated writers, it can take anything from years on New York's stand-up comedy circuit to having to create a fictitious talent agency just to catch your first break. On Wednesday night, several hundred people who packed into the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills were treated to a raucous, irreverent and expletive-ridden journey into the lives of eight of this year's Emmy-nominated writers. "When I started writing, I always considered plot to be an intrusion; what I like doing is writing the dialogue," said Aaron Sorkin, who admitted to writing the original play for his breakout hit A Few Good Men on cocktail napkins while working as a bartender at a Broadway theater. Sorkin received his 10th nomination for The West Wing this year. Fraternal writing team Robb Cullen and Mark Cullen (Lucky) said they scored their first network meetings by posing over the phone as the Coen brothers; Mike Royce (Everybody Loves Raymond) started out as warm-up act on The Maury Povich Show. "My man's got such a career now," panel moderator Dennis Miller said of Royce, "but he was once a fluffer for Povich." Other participants included Terence Winter (The Sopranos), Matt Warburton (The Simpsons), Jane Anderson (Normal) and Hugh Whitemore (My House in Umbria). The panel was sponsored by the WGA.