The Crystal Nymph is a mark of distinction exclusive to the Monte Carlo Television Festival. It is awarded only to the very top echelon of major international television actors and actresses. Solely those with stellar bodies of work can hope to be in the running. Winners in the past have included the honourees Helen Mirren, Mariska Hargitay, Marg Helgenberger, Patricia Arquette and Donald Sutherland.
It is at at the Festival’s Closing Ceremony on 18 June 2019 that the Crystal Nymph will be presented; H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco personally will bestow the award.
Laurent Puons, CEO of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival has proudly indicated that at this 59th edition of the Monte Carlo Television Festival it is the Hollywood Superstar Michael Douglas that has been nominated to receive this singular recognition.
This legendary acclaimed and multiple award-winning actor and producer has already distinguished himself winning two Academy Awards (Oscars) for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1976 and Wall Street in 1988. For the HBO film Behind the Candelabra, Michael was granted an Emmy, Golden Globe and a SAG award as Best Actor for his portrayal of Liberace.
Did you know that as a successful producer he co-produced The China Syndrome (1979) which starred Jack Lemmon, Jane Fonda and himself. The film received Academy Award nominations for Lemmon and Fonda as well as for Best Screenplay. The National Board of Review named it one of the best films of the year.
And who can forget him starring opposite Glenn Close in the phenomenally successful 1987 psychological thriller, Fatal Attraction and in 1992, with Sharon Stone in the erotic thriller from Paul Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct, one of the year’s top grossing films.
Every great actor remembers the early days before fame shone on them. For Michael Douglas, and particularly relevant to the Television Festival in Monte Carlo, his breakthrough role did indeed begin in a TV special. It was the 1969 CBS-TV “Playhouse” The Experiment when he was cast in the pivotal role of a free-spirited scientist who compromises his liberal views to accept a lucrative job with a high-tech chemical company. Impressed by Douglas’ performance in The Experiment and in a segment of The FBI, producer Quinn Martin signed the actor to the part of Karl Malden’s sidekick in the police series The Streets of San Francisco, which premiered September of 1972 and became one of ABC’s highest-rated prime-time programs in the mid-1970s. Douglas earned three successive Emmy Award nominations for his performance and he directed two episodes of the series.
It is a proud fact for the Television Festival that at this later stage of his career, he continues to star in television’s spotlight returning to the TV screen to act opposite Alan Arkin (of Catch 22 fame) in the Golden Globe winning The Kominsky Method. A standout hit at launch, Mr. Douglas won a Golden Globe as Best Actor for this comedy series. Written by Chuck Lorre (of The Big Bang Theory game), it has just ended filming a second season.
Laurent Puons said, “Michael Douglas’ long career encompasses television, film and theatre at the highest level, and he continues to be one of today’s most highly-respected actors. It’s a great pleasure to welcome such an outstanding talent to our Festival and to recognise the huge impact his work has had on the global television industry.”
