Christie, Spacek honored for Alzheimer portrayals

Academy Award winners Julie Christie and Sissy Spacek have been nominated for Golden Globe Awards for their portrayals of people living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Christie was nominated in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) for her work in “Away From Her.” The film, directed by actress Sarah Polley, stars Christie as a woman slipping away to Alzheimer’s and deals with how the disease impacts the relationship with her husband of almost 50 years (Gordon Pinset).

Olympia Dukakis also co-stars in the film. Both Polley and Dukakis have collaborated with the Alzheimer's Association by becoming Alzheimer Champions to raise awareness about Alzheimer's.

Spacek was nominated in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her performance in “Pictures of Hollis Woods.” Based on the Newbery Honor Book by Patricia Reilly Giff, Spacek plays a foster mother beginning to show signs of Alzheimer's disease.
 
The Alzheimer's Association worked closely with Hallmark Hall of Fame to ensure Spacek's depiction of a woman living with Alzheimer’s was accurate. In addition, Hallmark Hall of Fame aired a public service announcement directing viewers to www.hallmark.com for find information about the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer's disease and a link to www.alz.org.

The Golden Globe Awards ceremony will be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 13, on NBC.