Achievement in Southern Literature at the magazine’s inaugural Best of the
South Gala in Little Rock April 3.
Portis, who was born in El Dorado and currently lives in
Little Rock, is best known for his novel True Grit, which was adapted for a
feature film in 1969. The film starred John Wayne, who won the Academy
Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Rooster
Cogburn.
The Coen Brothers are
currently producing another film version of True Grit, and Rooster Cogburn will
be played by Jeff Bridges, who just won this year’s Academy Award for Best
Actor.
Also at the event, Academy
Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman will accept an inaugural award for
Outstanding Contributions to Southern Culture. Freeman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best
Actor for his portrayal of Nelson Mandela in the film “Invictus”.
being reserved for the gala. For more information on the event, check out oxfordamerican.org/.
Charles Portis was born in El Dorado but grew up in Hamburg. It would be more accurate to say he’s a native of Hamburg.