#SBIFF Robert Downey Jr. Receives Maltin Modern Master Award

Tonight, Robert Downey Jr. received the Maltin Modern Master Award, its highest accolade, at the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The night celebrated Downey’s filmography through a conversation with Maltin along with tributes from longtime friend Rob Lowe and Oppenheimer costar Cillian Murphy.

Downey and legendary film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, for whom the award is named - discussed Downey’s expansive five-decade acting career, his rise to becoming one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful actors to date, culminating in his recent searing, indelible performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s staggering, global cinematic phenomenon, Oppenheimer.

“Robert Downey Jr. has staged one of the most spectacular second acts in show business history...and we in the audience are the beneficiaries. He commands the screen without any visible effort, which is perhaps the greatest feat of all,” said Leonard Maltin.

The Modern Master Award was established in 1995. Created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry, it was re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 in honor of long-time SBIFF moderator and renowned film critic Leonard Maltin. Past recipients include Academy Award winning actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, George Clooney and Christopher Plummer, and acclaimed filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood and Peter Jackson.

We are back onsite for more coverage of all things SBIFF, stay tuned.