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Contact:   Elissa Ruffino (NIAF)   202/939-3106 or 202/939-3106 elissa@niaf.org

Nicolas Cage: Cara Tripicchio,310/205-0618310/205-0618

(WASHINGTON, DC – September 10, 2001) Actor Nicolas Cage will be the first inductee into the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) new “Hall of Fame” at the Foundation’s 26th Anniversary Awards Gala, Saturday evening, October 20 at the Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C. In 1994, Cage received a NIAF Special Achievement Award at that year’s Gala Award Dinner.

The NIAF Gala Awards Dinner is one of the premier annual events in Washington, DC, attracting more than 3,100 people from throughout the country and abroad. Members of the Italian American Congressional Delegation, and Italian American leaders in business, sports, entertainment and the arts are expected at the event which has been attended by every U.S. President since 1975. U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania is this year’s dinner chairman.

During the dinner, a special NIAF award will be presented to actor Christopher Reeve and his wife, Dana Morosini Reeve, for their outstanding work raising funding for spinal cord injury research. Business honorees at this year’s gala include Domenico De Sole, president and CEO of Gucci Group NV, and Roger Enrico, vice chairman of PepsiCo, Inc. Mr. De Sole and Mr. Enrico will receive NIAF Special Achievement Awards in Fashion and Industry, and Business, respectively.

Nicolas Cage won an Academy Award for his performance in “Leaving Las Vegas” in 1996. He began acting at age 15 when he enrolled in San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater and appeared in the school’s production of “Golden Boy.” As a high school student in Los Angeles, Cage landed a role in the television film “The Best of Times.” He made his feature film debut in “Rumble Fish,” but it was Cage’s portrayal of a tormented Vietnam vet in “Birdy” that first established him as a serious actor.

This year, Cage received the first ever 2001 Distinguished Decade in Film Award at Sho West. He was also honored at the famous Hollywood Boulevard Hand/Foot print ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater and in September, Cage was honored by the American Cinematheque with the 2001 Moving Picture Ball Award.

Cage received Golden Globe nominations as Best Actor for his role as Cher’s lover in “Moonstruck” and the romantic comedy “Honeymoon in Vegas.” The film “Wild at Heart,” starring Cage and Laura Dern, won the Palm d’Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival. His other film credits include “Valley Girl,” “Cotton Club, “Racing with the Moon,” “The Boy in Blue,” “Peggy Sue Got Married, “Raising Arizona,” “Vampire Kiss,” “Fire Birds,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Bring out the Dead,” “Eight Millimeter,” “Snake Eyes,” “City of Angels” and “Face Off.” He also appeared in “The Family Man” which was released by Universal in December 2000.

This summer, movie-goers saw him in Universal Pictures “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” in which he played an Italian officer who participated in the tragic revolt of Italian soldiers against their former German allies during World War II.

In November, Cage will appear in John Woo’s “Windtalkers,” the MGM World War II feature about two U.S. Marines who are assigned to protect Navajo Marines who use their language as a secret radio code. In April 2002, Cage will star in the new Spike Jonze and Charlie Kauffman film, “Adaptation” for Columbia Tristar.

During the Gala Awards weekend, the NIAF will hold a CEO conference for leading Italian American business executives, Friday October 19. Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, will brief the executives during a private luncheon on Capitol Hill followed by a White House briefing. The NIAF convention will also feature conferences, exhibits, the traditional celebrity luncheon and auction, a seminar on tourism, and a wine and olive oil tasting hosted by Bolla Wines and Colavita USA.

Dinner tickets begin at $350 each. Proceeds from the event benefit the NIAF Scholarship and Education Programs and “Gardens of Hope,” an inner-city food program to benefit the homeless and those in shelters. For tickets or sponsor information, contact: Jerry Jones at   202/939-3102202/939-3102 or jerry@niaf.org.