Actor Michael Douglas will discuss his legendary career in a sit-down interview with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz next month as part of the network’s “Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival” series, festival organizers announced Wednesday.

“Michael Douglas has been part of our collective Hollywood consciousness his entire life. From chasing bad guys through the streets of San Francisco to playing an iconic bad guy in Gordon Gekko, Michael has stayed not only relevant, but vital,” Mankiewicz said. “To say that I’m looking forward to discussing the career of an actor who played Liberace 38 years after producing `One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ is a huge understatement.”

The two-hour interview with Douglas will take place at the Montalban Theatre near Hollywood and Vine on April 8. It is open exclusively to festival passholders and will be broadcast on the channel at a later date.

Other highlights of the eighth annual gathering for film buffs include a cast reunion of the 2000 mockumentary “Best in Show,” an appearance by Oscar winner Sidney Poitier for a 50th anniversary screening of 1967’s “In the Heat of the Night,” an appearance by director Mel Brooks for a 40th anniversary screening of the 1977 Alfred Hitchcock spoof, “High Anxiety,” and appearances by Bob Newhart, Carl and Rob Reiner, Lee Grant, Peter Bogdanovich, Dick Cavett and others.

The 2017 festival is scheduled for April 6-9. The theme of this year’s festival is “Make ‘Em Laugh: Comedy In The Movies.”

Screenings will take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and other Hollywood venues. More information can be found at www.filmfestival.tcm.com.

—City News Service

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