And the Gary Cooper Spirit of Montana Award goes to… Johnny Depp!
BOZEMAN, Mont.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct. 10, 2005–HatcH Audiovisual Festival is proud to announce the winner of this year’s 2nd Annual Gary Cooper Spirit of Montana Award, actor/ musician Mr. Johnny Depp! The award was presented at the Hatch Awards Red Carpet Ceremony held at the Ellen Theatre October 9th at 8:00pm on the Festival’s Celebrated Gary Cooper Day!
Revered as the highest honor at the festival, this award is about dreams and the people that encourage dreamers. It is presented to the actor or actress that embodies the spirit of Gary Cooper. The first recipient is longtime Montana resident Peter Fonda, who received the honor for his unique and bold contribution to the world of filmmaking and his love of sharing artistic knowledge with students of film and theater throughout the world.
“We are so honored to have a recipient who will be thought of in generations to come, the way Gary Cooper is thought of today”. Scott Billadeau, Executive Board Hatch.
Among a group of high profiled celebrities, an actor/ actress is selected by the Hatch board of directors, for their profound work as an artist and their contribution to film, to receive the award. The artist selected embodies the spirit and legacy that is Gary Cooper.
“Johnny Depp is a perfect choice. He embodies the aura and generosity of Gary Cooper” Actor, Morgan Freeman
Directors, colleagues, musicians and industry professionals have often referred to Mr. Johnny Depp, as “the next Gary Cooper”. Recognized as one of the most versatile actors of this day in Hollywood, he is celebrated for his execution of dark sinister type roles from “Donnie Brasco” to the “Secret Window”, including a wide range of roles in movies that are similar to those portrayed by Mr. Gary Cooper, who is also very famous for his successful portrayals onscreen as the dark, quiet, laconic type.
“Johnny Depp is an inspired choice to receive the Gary Cooper Spirit of Montana Award. Like Cooper, JD is his own man. Al Pacino admires Gary Cooper for his astonishing integrity as an actor. Johnny Depp embodies that same integrity. This is inspired!” John Mulholland, Representative of the Gary Cooper Estate.
Mr. Depp throughout his career has proven to be a role model for aspiring talent worldwide. His love for music and the arts, as well as his proven diversity in a series of roles such as Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Willy Wonka in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” to “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Edward Scissorhands”, has marked Mr. Depp as a leading actor and mentor of our time.
“JD is a pioneer, a groundbreaker in his own right. He’s taken many risks and is one of the few modern day actors that do not conform to Hollywood’s template, but defines himself with characters that are innovative and provocative. There is no other JD just as there is no other GC”. Yarrow Kraner- Co-founder Hatch
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