He was a leader of the peace movement in the 1960s. He is a former president of Students for a Democratic Society, and author of a number of books including The Sixties: Years of Hope, Days of Rage, and Media Unlimited. Gitlin is also a professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University.
He's a two-time Academy Award winner for his performances in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty. His other films include L.A. Confidential, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Negotiator and The Shipping News. On television he was a regular in the series Wiseguy. In 1997 Spacey formed Trigger Street Productions, which has produced films and Broadway plays. Recently Spacey launched TriggerStreet.com, an interactive Web site dedicated to nurturing and developing undiscovered talent. Spacey's new film, The Life of David Gale, hits theaters this weekend.
Her new book is A Human Being Died That Night: A South African Story of Forgiveness. It's about Eugene de Kock, the commanding officer of state-sanctioned apartheid death squads. Gobodo-Madikizela served as a psychologist on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and she spent many hours interviewing de Kock in prison, where he is serving a 212-year sentence for crimes against humanity. The book raises questions about the nature of evil and the limits of forgiveness.