Dwayne Johnson to Receive CinemaCon's 'Actions Star of the Year' Award

Dwayne Johnson will receive the "CinemaCon Action Star of Year Award," it was announced today by the convention's managing director, Mitch Neuhauser. CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), the largest and most important gathering of cinema owners and operators from around the world, will be held April 23 - 26, 2012 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Johnson will be presented with this special honor at the opening night Paramount Pictures presentation on Monday evening, April 23rd, in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

"An exciting performer who first gained attention from audiences around the world when he developed the iconic character ‘The Rock,' Dwayne Johnson has taken his charismatic presence to the big screen and has proven over and over again that he can entertain audiences of all ages - whether it be in an action-packed film or in a family comedy," noted Neuhauser. "He thrills audiences around the world with exhilarating performances that leave them on The Edge of their seats, and I cannot think of someone more worthy of being named the ‘CinemaCon Action Star of the Year.'"

Johnson will star in this summer's action-packed Paramount Pictures feature "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," which is set to release on June 29, 2012. In this follow-up to the 2009 release of "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra," the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra, they are also forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. The film also stars D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis.

Johnson's flourishing film career got its start over a decade ago when he transitioned from a successful World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) career to appear in the 2001 blockbuster release "The Mummy Returns," which led to his first starring role in "The Scorpion King" the following year. The films' success led to leading roles in "The Rundown," "Walking Tall," "Gridiron Gang," "The Tooth Fairy," "Faster," "Fast Five" and "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island." In addition, he gave a standout performance in the ensemble hit "Be Cool," and lent his voice to the animated film "Planet 51." Recently, he wrapped production on "Snitch," which is set to release next year. Films on his production slate for 2012 include Michael Bay's "Pain and Gain," "The Fast and the Furious 6" and Brett Ratner's "Hercules."