Gasparilla Film Fest to honor Terry Moore legendary actress

Tampa Bay's largest international film festival announced today that screen legend Terry Moore will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award to be presented on opening night, Thursday, February 26, 2009 at the historic Tampa Theatre. The award will be presented prior to the festival's opening film, Nothing But the Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, Angela Bassett and Alan Alda.

The general movie-going public took notice of Terry Moore in 1949 when she starred alongside Ben Johnson in Mighty Joe Young, a King Kong sequel of sorts. Moore's best performance was in 1952's Come Back, Little Sheba for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Moore also received an Academy Award nomination for the same role, which she worked on with Burt Lancaster. She has been honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Terry Moore has starred in 77 feature films, with many of Hollywood's legendary leading men, including John Wayne, Cary Grant, Tyrone Power, Glenn Ford, Mickey Rooney, and Robert Wagner.

Besides being an actress, Moore was one of the first female jet pilots in the world after becoming involved with Howard Hughes in 1949. Moore said, "So, since I was involved with Howard, that's why when I met Jimmy Dean and I kept him as a friend. I actually married Howard in 1949, and we never were divorced."