At 2025 Gala on Monday, April 21, 2025 at the New York Marriott Marquis
Previously Announced Honorees Include Tony Award and Academy Award-winning Actor, Producer and Director Denzel Washington and Theater Owner and Producer James L. Nederlander
New York, NY (February 13, 2025) – The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, announced today that Academy Award-winning actor, dancer and singer Ariana DeBose will round out the distinguished line up of honorees for their Annual Gala on Monday, April 21, 2025, in New York City. The evening will celebrate DeBose alongside the previously announced Tony Award and Academy Award-winning actor, producer and director Denzel Washington and theater owner and producer James L. Nederlander as they receive the Entertainment Community Fund Medal of Honor.
For photos of the honorees, please click here.
The Annual Gala, which honors entertainment professionals working in film, television, theater, music and dance, will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis (1535 Broadway) with 6 pm ET cocktails, followed by a 7 pm ET dinner and tributes. The evening will include special performances and presentations as guests come together to support the Fund’s programs that foster stability and resiliency and provide a safety net over the lifespan of members of the performing arts and entertainment industry nationwide.
“We are thrilled for Ariana DeBose to complete this year’s exciting group of honorees,” said Joe Benincasa, President and CEO of the Entertainment Community Fund. “Ariana, Denzel and Jimmy are an especially passionate trio of artistic leaders who have changed the landscape of the entertainment industry. It is an honor to recognize them with the Fund’s Medal of Honor.”
Tickets to the benefit begin at $1,750 with tables available beginning at $15,000. For more information and special sponsorship opportunities, please contact 212.627.1000 or reach out to entertainmentcommunity@resevt.com. Learn more and purchase tickets at entertainmentcommunity.org/Gala2025.
The Entertainment Community Fund Medal of Honor was inaugurated on May 9, 1910 when it was first presented to President William Howard Taft. The award was revived in 1958, and since 1992, when Shubert Organization President Bernard B. Jacobs was recognized, the award has been presented at an annual fundraising gala. Since then, dozens of leaders have been recognized with this high honor given to individuals and organizations that enrich the entertainment community. To view past honorees, visit entertainmentcommunity.org/honorees.
ABOUT ARIANA DEBOSE
Ariana DeBose is an award-winning actor known for her varying roles onstage and in film and television. DeBose is best known for her groundbreaking performance in Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of West Side Story, for which she received an Academy Award in addition to BAFTA, Critics Choice and SAG Awards for her star-turning role as Anita. Her performance has received universal critical acclaim, with Variety calling her a “radiant force of nature” and Forbes writing “Ariana DeBose shines in an absolutely star-making performance.” In winning her Oscar, she became the first openly queer Afro Latina to win an Academy Award.
Most recently, DeBose starred in Matthew Vaughn’s action film Argylle (Apple/Universal), Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s space thriller I.S.S. and Disney’s 100th anniversary animated feature film Wish. Her feature film slate for 2024 included Sony Pictures’ Kraven the Hunter and Blumhouse’s House of Spoils (Prime Video). DeBose can next be seen in Universal’s Love Hurts, which premiered on February 7, 2025. DeBose most recently wrapped production on Lear Rex, co-starring Jessica Chastain and Al Pacino, and Tow, for which she will also serve as an executive producer and star in the true story alongside Octavia Spencer and Rose Byrne. She is currently in production on Prime Video’s series adaptation of Patricia Cornwell’s Scarpetta, starring opposite Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis.
For the past three years, DeBose has hosted the 75th, 76th and 77th Annual Tony Awards, receiving critical acclaim and earning her first Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Variety Special” for her inaugural hosting stint in 2021. In 2021, DeBose had a breakout role in Schmigadoon!, the Lorne Michaels executive produced Apple TV+ musical comedy series, for which she returned for its second season. She also received critical acclaim for her performance in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix adaptation of the hit-Broadway musical The Prom opposite Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington and James Corden.
Onstage, DeBose is perhaps best known for her role as “Disco Donna” in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, which earned her a 2018 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. For the same role, she was nominated for a Drama League Award for “Distinguished Performance” and won a Chita Rivera Award for “Outstanding Female Dancer in a Broadway Show.
In 2015, DeBose appeared alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda in the groundbreaking, Tony-winning musical Hamilton as a member of the original cast in both the Broadway and off-Broadway productions, as well as the Emmy Award-winning film version that was later released on Disney+. After her departure from Hamilton in 2016, DeBose completed a run as Jane in the original Broadway cast of A Bronx Tale.
Her additional theater credits include: Leading Player in the Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin, Mary Wilson of the Supremes in Motown The Musical, Nautica in Andy Blankenbuehler’s Bring It On: The Musical and ensemble in Stephen Sondheim’s Company. Other credits include: The Breaks (VH1), Blue Bloods (CBS), One Life to Live’s Star Crossed Lovers series and season 6 of So You Think You Can Dance (FOX), where she was a top-20 finalist.
DeBose currently sits on the International Board of Covenant House advocating for homeless youth, many of whom identify as LGBTQ. In 2022, DeBose began her partnership with OMEGA, and throughout her partnership has continued to embody the brand’s commitment to excellence.
DeBose resides in New York.