Richard Matheson, William Friedkin and
Vince Gilligan to be Honored During
the 39th Annual Saturn Awards on June 26

Three Legends Who Shaped – and Reshaped – Genre Entertainment to Receive Special Achievement Awards 

LOS ANGELES – May 15, 2013 – Their creations have become towering achievements in genre entertainment, and on June 26, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films will recognize the continually influential work of Richard Matheson, William Friedkin and Vince Gilligan at the 39th Annual Saturn Awards.

Matheson, Friedkin and Gilligan are all expected to attend the Saturn Awards Ceremony at the Castaway Starlight Ballroom in Burbank, Calif.

This year’s Saturn Awards ceremony will be hosted by actress Virginia Madsen, who won a Saturn Award as Best Actress for her performance in 1992’s Candyman and received an Oscar® nomination for Actress in a Supporting Role for 2004’s Sideways.

“The recipients of this year’s special Saturn Awards have influenced generations of fans – not to mention other creative minds – and their accomplishments truly rank among the great contributions to science fiction, fantasy and horror,” said Academy President Robert Holguin. “They have provoked our thoughts, invaded our dreams and set our minds soaring to new heights, and the Academy is genuinely thrilled to pay tribute to them and their works.”

From the moment he published his first short story, “Born of Man and Woman,” at age 24, RICHARD MATHESON has been a singular voice in fiction, whose prolific written work is as unforgettable as the television and filmed entertainment it has inspired for more than half a century. In addition to more than 25 novels and nearly 100 short stories, Matheson wrote 14 timeless episodes of The Twilight Zone – including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Little Girl Lost,” “The Invaders” and “Night Call.”  As a screenwriter, he has adapted his own work and also seen his writing serve as the basis for other screenwriters – resulting in such indelible entertainment as Steven Spielberg’s Duel, The Incredible Shrinking Man, I Am Legend and The Omega Man, Stir of Echoes, Real Steel, What Dreams May Come, The Legend of Hell House and Somewhere In Time.  At the 39th Annual Saturn Awards, Matheson will receive the Academy’s VISIONARY AWARD.

This year’s LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD will be presented to WILLIAM FRIEDKIN, whose cinematic accomplishments as a director, producer and screenwriter have included such classic films as The Exorcist, The French Connection, Sorcerer and last year’s widely acclaimed Killer Joe.  Few filmmakers have challenged audiences with a blend of reality and fantasy as regularly and boldly as Friedkin, whose career began with a feature film starring Sonny and Cher – and went on to include multiple Academy Awards and nominations, cementing his place as one of the industry’s most remarkable voices, bringing a new reality to genre filmmaking.

Television producer and creator VINCE GILLIGAN is the recipient of the DAN CURTIS LEGACY AWARD, a new award named for the legendary producer of such remarkable TV entertainment as the original Night Stalker films, the iconic TV series Dark Shadows, and the epic miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance.  Likewise, Gilligan’s work has changed the face of television as writer and executive producer of The X Files and the creator, writer, producer and director of the wildly successful AMC series Breaking Bad, winner of six past Saturn Awards.

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films was founded in 1972 by noted film historian Dr. Donald A. Reed to honor and recognize films often overlooked by mainstream awards.  Over the years, the Academy has expanded its reach to include recognizing excellence in television and home entertainment, as well as other genres, including adventure, thriller action, dark drama and edgy entertainment.

This year’s Saturn Awards will be presented on Wednesday, June 26, at the Castaway Starlight Ballroom in Burbank.

For a complete list of nominations and more information about the Academy, visit www.saturnawards.org or the Facebook page for The Saturn Awards.