Actor Hugh Jackman returning as Tony Awards host for fourth time

[February 12, 2014]  NEW YORK (Reuters) — Award-winning actor Hugh Jackman will return to host the 68th annual Tony Awards, which honors the best of Broadway, organizers said on Tuesday.

It will be the fourth time Jackman will emcee the ceremony on June 8 from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, where it will be broadcast live on the CBS television network. He hosted the ceremony from 2003-2005 and picked up an Emmy award for his work on the 2004 show.

Jackman, 45, also won a Tony award the same year for his role in "The Boy from Oz."

The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, the presenters of the Tony awards, praised Jackman's versatility and showmanship.

"Hugh is an extraordinary talent and loyal supporter of the Broadway community — whether he is on-stage or in the audience — and we are honored to have him back as host," Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League and Heather Hitchens, executive director of the American Theatre Wing, said in a statement.

The actor, who was born in Australia, won a Golden Globe in 2013 for best actor in a comedy or musical for the film "Les Miserables." He will reprise his role as Wolverine in "X-Men: Days of Future Past," which is set to be released in May.

The nominations for the 2014 Tony awards will be announced on April 29 in New York.

The musical "Kinky Boots," an adaptation of a British film about a struggling shoe factory reinventing itself by making boots for drag queens, won six Tony awards last year, including best musical.

(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; editing by Mary Milliken and Amanda Kwan)

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