On Monday, April 21, 2025 at the New York Marriott Marquis
Tickets Are on Sale Now!
New York, NY (November 14, 2024) – The Entertainment Community Fund, formerly The Actors Fund, announced today that it will host its Annual Gala on Monday, April 21, 2025, in New York City. The evening will celebrate Tony Award winner and Academy Award winner Denzel Washington and Theater Owner and Producer James L. Nederlander as they receive the Entertainment Community Fund Medal of Honor. Additional honorees and special guests will be announced at a later date.
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.
“It’s a privilege to honor Jimmy Nederlander and Denzel Washington,” said Joe Benincasa, President and CEO of the Entertainment Community Fund. “They are luminaries in our industry, both for the work they’ve created and for their commitment to uplifting emerging talent. With the Fund’s Medal of Honor we recognize their distinguished careers and their leadership.”
Washington’s four-decade career has spanned theater, film and television. From Academy Award-winning performances in Glory and Training Day to his Tony Award-winning role in Fences, he has been a leading force in acting, directing and producing. In spring 2025, he will return to Broadway in Othello opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, directed by Kenny Leon and produced by Brian Anthony Moreland.
Nederlander, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Nederlander Organization, leads a family business that began in 1912 and now encompasses every aspect of the live entertainment industry from venue ownership and management, theatrical producing, concert presentation, concessions and patron services. In addition to being a business innovator, Nederlander is also a committed leader and philanthropist.
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 DENZEL WASHINGTON
Denzel Washington is a native of Mt. Vernon, NY, and graduated from Fordham University, where he majored in drama. He spent a year at San Francisco’s prestigious American Conservatory Theatre before beginning his professional acting career. Since then, Denzel’s unforgettable performances have garnered him two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes and countless other awards.
Denzel received his first Academy Award for the historical war drama Glory (1987) and his second for his portrayal of the corrupt cop in the crime thriller Training Day (2001). Denzel won a Tony Award for his performance in Fences, during his return to Broadway in 2010.
Denzel’s professional acting career began in New York, where he performed in theater productions such as Ceremonies in Dark Old Men and Othello. He rose to fame when he landed the role as Dr. Phillip Chandler on the NBC long-running hit television series St. Elsewhere. His other television credits include The George McKenna Story, License to Kill and Wilma.
As Denzel crossed over into the world of film, he garnered critical acclaim for his portrayal of real-life figures. He earned his first Oscar nomination for Cry Freedom (1987) as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko. From there, he went on to portray Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007) and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). A few of his other beloved credits include Much Ado About Nothing (1993), A Soldier’s Story (1984), Crimson Tide (1995), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) and Inside Man (2006).
In 2016, Denzel starred in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of August Wilson’s Fences. In addition to producing and directing the adaptation, Denzel reprised his original Tony Award-winning role alongside Viola Davis. The film received four Academy Award nominations including Denzel for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.” His other latest films include Unstoppable (2010) where he reunited with director Tony Scott for the fifth time, 2 Guns (2013) where he starred alongside Mark Wahlberg, and The Equalizer, an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua (2014) of which he reprised his role in 2018 for The Equalizer 2 making it the first time Denzel has ever done a sequel. Released in 2023, he resumed his role in the last movie of the trilogy The Equalizer 3. In 2016, Denzel teamed up with Antoine Fuqua again for an exciting remake of The Magnificent Seven, which also starred Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke.
Denzel returned to the stage in 2018 when he starred in a revival of Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh which was directed by George C. Wolfe. His performance garnered him a Tony award nomination.
He also starred in Dan Gilroy’s Roman J. Israel, Esq. for which he received multiple Best Actor nominations.
In 2016, he was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards, cementing his legacy in Hollywood. He most recently was honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award, one of the highest honors for a career in film.
Denzel recently produced Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom for Netflix, directed by George C. Wolfe with cast including Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman and Colman Domingo. The Warner Bros thriller The Little Things recently starred Denzel alongside Rami Malek and Jared Leto.
Most recently, Denzel directed A Journal for Jordan starring Michael B. Jordan and helmed the Joel Coen directed The Tragedy of Macbeth alongside Frances McDormand, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Next up, Denzel is producing The Piano Lesson, will star in Gladiator 2 from director Ridley Scott and High and Low from director Spike Lee. Washington will also be making his long-awaited return to the stage in Othello, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, directed by Kenny Leon and lead produced by Brian Anthony Moreland.
ABOUT JAMES L. NEDERLANDER
James L. Nederlander, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Nederlander Organization, leads a family business that began in 1912 and now encompasses every aspect of the live entertainment industry from venue ownership and management, theatrical producing, concert presentation, concessions and patron services.
Jimmy oversees the management of a network of legitimate theatres in New York, Chicago, Durham, Greensboro, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, San Diego, San Jose, Tucson, Washington, DC and London—including nine theatres on Broadway. The Nederlander Organization recently expanded its influence by acquiring Jam Theatrical, a major player in theatres around the country, and partnering with the innovative LIVEN Ticket Company, showcasing Jimmy’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of live entertainment.
Jimmy is a Tony® Award winning producer with an eye for popular entertainment for audiences of all ages. Amongst his producing credits are dozens of distinguished, award-winning musicals and plays including Kimberly Akimbo; Enemy of the People; The Lehman Trilogy; Mr. Saturday Night starring Billy Crystal; Tina, The Tina Turner Musical; To Kill a Mockingbird; Tammy Faye; Thoughts of a Colored Man; My Fair Lady; On Your Feet! The Gloria and Emilio Estefan Story; The Elephant Man starring Bradley Cooper; I’ll Eat You Last starring Bette Midler; The Humans; West Side Story; Movin’ Out; Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth directed by Spike Lee; La Cage aux Folles; Next To Normal; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and many others.
From Broadway to Yankee Stadium to the most prestigious concert halls in the nation, Jimmy is also one of the country’s most astute presenters of headline talent such as Adele, Billy Joel, Harry Connick Jr., Neil Diamond, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince, Florence and the Machine, John Legend, Pink Floyd, Sting, Elton John and the Rolling Stones to mention a few.
Jimmy is also spearheading the company’s many customer service focused business initiatives including Broadway Direct, Nederlander’s entertainment newsletter that is distributed nationally to 3 million theatergoers, helping patrons across the country stay connected to every show on Broadway. His desire to say “thank you” to his audiences was the inspiration for the creation of Audience Rewards, now the “official loyalty program for Broadway serving 2.8 million customers,” which Nederlander launched in partnership with other Broadway venue owners.
With a clear focus on the future, The National High School Musical Theater Awards, known as The Jimmy Awards® in celebration of his father, was launched in 2009 under Jimmy’s leadership in order to recognize emerging talent. The program has become a national platform for showcasing the importance of theater arts education in schools.
In addition to being a business innovator, Jimmy is also a committed leader and philanthropist who sits on the Board of Trustees of many leading organizations such as the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund), The Broadway League, The New York Philharmonic, The Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, The Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum and the New York Restoration Project. He is a Life Trustee of the ASPCA.
James L. and James M. Nederlander were the first father and son to be named New York City Living Landmarks, which coincided with the Nederlander Organization’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2012. He is also the recipient of many other distinguishing honors including The Buoniconti Fund’s Outstanding Philanthropist Award, ASPCA Life Trustee Award, New York Pops 25th Anniversary Cultural Leader, Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Visionary Leadership Award, NYC&Co Leadership Achievement Award and others.