Equally renowned for his contributions to cinema and to politics, Warren Beatty is among the most versatile and gifted figures in Hollywood. On the lecture stage he is a passionate and compelling speaker, whether discussing his life in film or addressing the political issues-state, national and global-that most deeply concern him.

Warren's career in front of and behind the movie camera is legendary. The only person besides Orson Welles to earn Oscar nominations in the same year for acting, directing, writing and producing (he did it twice), in 2000 he was honored with the Academy's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for lifetime achievement. Among the films the Academy cited in bestowing the award were such classics as Bonnie & Clyde, Bugsy, Reds, Shampoo and McCabe and Mrs. Miller. In 2004, he was presented with a Kennedy Center Award for his contribution to American culture.

From the podium, Warren is most enthusiastic speaking on political issues. He has been extremely active in liberal causes since the 1960s, when he campaigned for Senator Robert Kennedy; in 2005 he successfully rallied voters to defeat all four of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's ballot proposals. Perennially floated as a potential challenger for both the governor's seat and the Oval Office, Warren has declined to step into the political arena himself, but he continues to support liberal politics throughout the country.