JERRY LEWIS TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS HUMANITARIAN AWARD FROM MOTION PICTURE ACADEMY
TUCSON, Ariz., Feb. 10, 2009 – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has recognized Jerry Lewis with one of its greatest honors, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
The award, named after actor, past Academy president and motion picture industry supporter Jean Hersholt, is bestowed by the Academy on an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.
Lewis, a world-renowned acting, directing and comedy talent and voluntary national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, has devoted most of his adult life to leadership of MDA’s effort to achieve treatments and cures for people with muscular dystrophy and related diseases.
"MDA always has been immensely proud of its inspiring national chairman, who for more than five decades has personified the Association's missions of help and hope. He is well deserving of this extraordinary honor," said Gerald C. Weinberg, MDA president and CEO. "The impact of his humanitarian efforts on people with muscle-wasting diseases is beyond measure."
In 1977, in nominating Lewis for the Nobel Peace Prize, Wisconsin Congressman and later Secretary of Defense Les Aspin said, "Jerry Lewis is a man for all seasons, all people and all times. His name has, in the hearts of millions, become synonymous with peace, love and brotherhood."
Over his lifetime, Lewis has been accorded a multitude of honors, both for his work in the entertainment industry and his work on behalf of mankind.
In 1985, the U.S. Defense Department presented Lewis its highest civilian award, the Medal for Distinguished Service. In 1996 the American Medical Association presented him and MDA Lifetime Achievement Awards "for significant and lasting contributions to health and welfare of humanity." Lewis has met with, and been recognized by, American presidents and heads of state around the globe. Notably, he is one of an elite few to have been made a Commander in the French Legion of Honor.
"Jerry is well-known as the 'face' of the MDA Labor Day Telethon, which he has hosted without fail for 43 years and counting," Weinberg said. "The Telethon is the most effective philanthropic event of its kind, so it's appropriate that the man who makes it all possible has been singled out for his matchless compassion."
Lewis will receive his Oscar statuette Feb. 22 during the 81st Academy Awards ceremony at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. The event will be televised at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
About the Hersholt Award
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization. Previous recipients of the Hersholt Humanitarian Award include Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra and Paul Newman.
About MDA
MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.
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