Mark Hamill will receive this year’s Cinema Icon Award, it was announced today by CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United and the world’s largest gathering of exhibitors, being held this week at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Hamill will be presented with this special honor later tonight at the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, hosted by official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company.

“Mark Hamill’s career is proof that great characters don’t just live on the screen—they live within us, galvanizing generations of audiences worldwide,” noted Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director, CinemaCon.?“This Cinema Icon Award honors not just an actor, but a legacy of incredible work that extends beyond the screen and continues to inspire us all.”

Mark Hamill will have three films in theaters in 2025. He will soon appear on screen in the highly anticipated adaptation of “The Long Walk,” the first-written novel by master storyteller Stephen King. Directed by Francis Lawrence, the visionary director of?”The Hunger Games”?franchise films (“Catching Fire,”?”Mockingjay – Pts. 1 & 2,” and?”The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”), this intense, chilling and emotional thriller challenges audiences to confront a haunting question: how far could you go? He is garnering early awards buzz for his role opposite Tom Hiddleston in?Neon’s?”The Life of Chuck”?which won the 2024 TIFF Audience Award and will also be seen in Paramount’s?”The SpongeBob Movie:?Search for?Squarepants”?as The Flying Dutchman.?

Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original “Star Wars” movies and reprised his role in both the sequels as well as the second season of “The Mandalorian” and season one of “The Book of Boba Fett.” He has also appeared in the films “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” Sony’s “The Machine” and “Brigsby Bear.” Hamill’s extensive voice acting work includes his role as the Thorn, the grizzly bear in DreamWorks Animation’s recently Oscar-nominated animated feature, “The Wild Robot;” Granduncle in the Oscar-winning “The Boy and the Heron;” and a long-standing role as the Joker, commencing with “Batman: The Animated Series” and the video game “Arkham City,” for which he received a BAFTA award.

About Cinema United
Founded in 1948, Cinema United is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 31,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and more than 30,000 screens in 80 countries worldwide. Its membership includes theatres of all sizes, from the largest cinema chains to one-screen theatres in cities and towns around the world. For additional information, please visit cinemaunited.org.