The 7^th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards^®, the only industry kudos devoted solely to actors honoring actors, will be telecast on TNT on Sunday, March 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT from the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles. The event marks TNT's fourth telecast of the prestigious industry event, which honors outstanding performances from 2000 in five film categories and eight television categories, including the unique ensemble award. Originated by the SAG Awards^TM, the ensemble award honors the performance by a cast in a motion picture, as well as ensemble casts in both comedy and dramatic television series.

The Guild's 37^th Life Achievement Award will be presented to Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. The award honors career achievements as well as humanitarian accomplishments. Recent recipients include Sidney Poitier, Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury and Robert Redford.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards^® is the only national awards show to recognize the outstanding collaborative performance by an ensemble or cast. The Actor^® award is one of the top industry awards honoring performers and the only kudos devoted solely to actors honoring actors. In the history of the SAG Awards™, 10 out of 12 recipients of The Actor^® for Outstanding Leading Performances in a Motion Picture subsequently were honored with an Academy Award^®.

Last year, the cast of American Beauty received The Actor^® for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture; the cast of The Sopranos, for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series; and the cast of Frasier, for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Last years' individual winners included Annette Bening for American Beauty, Kevin Spacey for American Beauty, Angelina Jolie for Girl, Interrupted, Michael Caine for The Cider House Rules, Halle Berry for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, Jack Lemmon for Oprah Winfrey Presents: Tuesdays with Morrie, Edie Falco for The Sopranos, James Gandolfini for The Sopranos, Lisa Kudrow for Friends and Michael J. Fox for Spin City.

Categories for the Screen Actors Guild Awards^® are:

The 7^th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards^® will continue the tradition of paying special tribute to a segment of the Guild's membership. In past years, the Awards Show has spotlighted commercial actors, background singers, stunt women, dancers, background performers, animation voice-over performers and stunt performers and is the only nationally televised awards show to acknowledge the work of union members.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards^® is a presentation of Jeff Margolis Productions in association with Screen Actors Guild. Emmy Award^® winning producer/director Jeff Margolis (Academy Awards^®, Miss America, American Music Awards) is executive producer. Kathy Connell is producer. Sandy Shapiro serves as executive producer for TNT.