Judith Light has been named as the third-ever recipient of the Variety Icon Award. She follows in the footsteps of “Downton Abbey’s” Michelle Dockery and “Game of Thrones'” Dame Diana Rigg. Light will receive the Icon Award, given in recognition of “outstanding achievement in acting for a performer whose powerful work has elicited praise from both critics and the audience alike, whether in film, television, or stage,” on March 27 during Canneseries’ opening ceremony. The TV fest will take place from March 27- April 1 in Cannes.
“I am profoundly honored to receive the Variety Icon Award as Variety has been a powerful support to me for so many years,” Light said, per Variety. “More than four decades into my career, I am so still so grateful to participate in telling stories that I deeply value and work with the brilliant teams who create them. I dedicate this award to all of the characters that I have played, the women they represent and to the people who have taken these characters into their hearts. I am always humbled to hear that these characters have companied individuals through various times in their lives and have entertained, educated, uplifted, or empowered the viewers in some way,” she emphasized. “This Variety Icon Award will forever have a special place in my own heart. I am honored and inspired to continue playing characters that change the dialogue around various issues, transform the way we relate to each other, and unite us all as one family through the powerful art of television.”
Daniel Holloway, Variety’s TV executive editor, added, “Everyone at Variety is thrilled to partner again with Canneseries to honor a performer who represents the best of the acting profession. Judith Light is one of our greatest actors, one whose work has long been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Light can currently be seen in Netflix political comedy “The Politician.” She plays New York State Senator Dede Standish. She received an Emmy nod for “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” and “Ugly Betty” and scored two nominations for “Transparent.” Her many other TV credits include “Who’s The Boss?” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” “Before You Know It” and “Digging For Fire” are among her film credits. Also a stage actress, she took home Tony Awards for her roles in “Other Desert Cities” and “The Assembled Parties.”
In 2019 Light was honored with the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, presented annually to a member of the theater community “who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service, or charitable organizations.” Light was acknowledged for her HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ activism.
