The award is presented by Jeremy Irons, with whom Close has worked in film and on stage, in projects including The Real Thing, "Reversal of Fortune" and "House of the Spirits." 

Close, an Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony Award winner and six-time Academy Award acting nominee, has performed onstage in Sunset Boulevard and The Real Thing. Some of her film credits include "Fatal Attraction" and "Dangerous Liaisons," and her TV credits include "Damages" and "The Shield." 

She will return to Broadway in Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance, co-starring with John Lithgow, Lindsay Duncan, Bob Balaban, Clare Higgins and Martha Plimpton.

Close is an emeritus trustee of the Institute and has served as a creative advisor at its Labs for emerging independent filmmakers. She has appeared in several films at the Sundance Film Festival.

In addition to the Vanguard Leadership Award, the Institute presents the Sundance Institute Vanguard Award to filmmaker Damien Chazelle ("Whiplash"). Past recipients include Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild") and Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station"). The Vanguard Award, presented by The Lincoln Motor Company as part of its "Reimagine Project," comes with a cash grant and mentorship from industry professionals and Sundance Institute Feature Film Program staff. "The Sundance Institute Vanguard Awards recognize those who are finding new and exciting ways to advance the independent film community. Both Glenn's and Damien's impressive accomplishments show that independent film is as vital, relevant, forward-looking and impactful as ever before," Institute trustees and event co-chairs Jeanne Donovan Fisher and Pat Mitchell said in a statement.

"I am deeply honored to be receiving the Vanguard Leadership Award from Sundance Institute," Close said in a previous statement. "The Institute is like none other in the world and continues to have a profound impact on all aspects of independent storytelling. Filmmakers who create astounding and original movies against the odds continue to inspire me and give me the courage to believe in what I think is worth the fight."

Previous recipients of the Vanguard Leadership Award include philanthropist and former Institute Trustee George Gund and journalist and film critic Roger Ebert.

The Vanguard Awards were founded in 2011 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program and its founding director, Michelle Satter.

Visit sundance.org for more information.