Austin Pendleton’s best role

In his five-decade career, Warren native Austin Pendleton has made a name for himself as a character actor in films and television, and also as a stage actor an instructor in New York.

Now he’s getting his due as the subject of a short documentary film.

“Starring Austin Pendleton” will premiere this week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The 20-minute short film was made by Gene Gallerano and David H. Holmes, two of his former acting students.

Pendleton, 76, has appeared in scores of major films and television series, usually playing a unique or quirky character. His list of credits is too long to list, but it includes everything from “Catch-22” (1970), “Amistad” (1997), “A Beautiful Mind” (2001) and voice work in “Finding Nemo” (2001), to ’70s TV series “Love American Style.”

The documentary is largely a series of interviews with stars who have worked with Pendleton over the years, and includes Hollywood heavyweights Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Natalie Portman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and others.

The short film premieres tonight at Tribeca, which is in New York, and it will be screened five times over the next week. Pendleton and the filmmakers will take part in a post-film panel discussion April 21 at a Tribeca venue.

Reached by phone in New York, Pendleton said he is very moved by the honor of being the subject of a film.

He explained how it all came about.

“[Gallerano and Holmes] were both in a play I directed 10 years ago, and were also in my acting class,” he said. “A few years ago they came to me wanting to make a documentary. They taped some of my classes, but I was a little uneasy about that, so they moved on to the idea of doing interviews of people I worked with.

“At one point they took a trip to Warren to film me [at an event at Trumbull New Theater], and my brother and I showed them around town. I haven’t seen the finished film, so I’m not sure [the Warren scenes] are in it.”

The film was originally a full-length feature, but the filmmakers decided to cut it down and tighten it up.

In addition to his teaching, Pendletown is currently directing a workshop of a new play by Tony Kushner (“Angels in America”).

RECORD STORE DAY WON’T BE QUITE THE SAME IN NILES

Saturday is National Record Store Day, in which independent record shops across the country step into the spotlight as keepers of the flame for rock’s noncorporate roots.

Plenty of bands release new vinyl for the day, exclusively for sale at indie shops, and a lot do free in-store concerts.

Remember last April’s event at the Record Connection in Niles, when Warren native Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters did a free concert for a couple hundred people at an empty storefront in the same plaza?

That was a once-in-a-lifetime happening, and all the stars lined up for it.

If you’re wondering if the Record Connection will have a band this Saturday for Record Store Day, the answer is no. Owner Jeff Burke said the plaza is full, and there is just no where to have a concert.

UPCOMING ROCK SHOWS AT CEDARS, ROYAL OAKS

Blue Ash, the indie-pop band from the Youngstown-Sharon area that built a global following in the 1970s with its infectious pop rock, will get together in some form for a show at Cedars West End on April 30.

The band, led by Sharon native Frank Secich, is part of a bill that also includes Deadbeat Poets, another great (but kind of unsung) Youngstown band. Secich is part of Deadbeat Poets, too.

Before that – this Friday – CVTTVNMVVTH and Birthday Noose will play a double-bill at the Royal Oaks.

Birthday Noose, which released its debut album (“Noosifer”) this month, is a three-piece garage/psychedelic band from Akron that includes Youngstowner Kevin Braun (Fillmore Jive and The Modulated Tones).

Guy D’Astolfo can be reached at dastolfo@vindy.com.