British actor Clive Owen, recipient of a Golden Globe, a BAFTA award, and a nomination for an Oscar, will be a special guest of this year’s festival. At the closing ceremony of the 58th KVIFF, Owen will be presented the KVIFF President’s Award. On this occasion, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will show the award-winning Closer, which was released twenty years ago.
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the native of Coventry started his acting career by appearing in several productions of Shakespeare for the Young Vic Theatre Company.
In 1997, Owen appeared on stage in the world premiere of Patrick Marber’s Closer at the Royal National Theatre, where he played one the main characters, Dan. When Mike Nichols adapted the internationally successful play about the pitfalls of love for the big screen in 2004, Owen again played one of the main roles – the other male lead, Larry – alongside Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, and Jude Law. His performance earned him a Golden Globe, a BAFTA award, and an Oscar nomination.
Owen received his second Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Ernest Hemingway in Philip Kaufman’s television film Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012), followed by a third nomination for his appearance in Steven Soderbergh’s Emmy-nominated television series The Knick (2014–2015). He later portrayed Bill Clinton in the series Impeachment: American Crime Story (2021), which revisited President Clinton’s affair with his intern Monica Lewinsky. Clive Owen can currently be seen as the private eye Sam Spade in the noir miniseries Monsieur Spade (2024), which was inspired by the novels of Dashiell Hammet.
