Medal of Honor
The Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors 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 individuals and organizations that enrich the entertainment community. In past years, our gala has honored such visionary leaders as:

2023 Glorya Kaufman
Tom Kirdahy
Alana Mayo
Tyler Perry
2022 Uzo Aduba
Bob Bakish
Mercedes Ruehl
Robert E. Wankel
2021 Debbie Allen 
Niko Elmaleh 
Stacey Mindich 
Seth Rudetsky & James Wesley 
2020 Matthew Broderick & Sarah Jessica Parker
Virginia Johnson
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Steve Tisch
Richard L. Trumka
2019 Harvey Fierstein
John Gore
Matthew D. Loeb
Rita Moreno
2018 Warren Beatty
Kenny Leon
Chita Rivera
Uma Thurman
2017 Danny DeVito
Sally Field
Jo Ann C. Jenkins
Hal Prince
2016 Michael Douglas
Emilio Estefan and Gloria Estefan
Casey Nicholaw
2015 Michael Bloomberg
Morgan Freeman
2014 Disney Theatrical Productions
Joseph P. Benincasa
2013 Robert De Niro Chairman
HBO® / Richard Plepler
Steve Kalafer
2012 Anne Meara & Jerry Stiller
David S. Steiner
2011 Charles Hollerith, Jr.
Bebe Neuwirth
Michael J. Stengel
& Marriott International
2010 Annette Bening
Kevin McCollum
Jonathan Tisch
2008 Stewart F. Lane & Bonnie Comley
2007 John Breglio, Esq.
2006 Rocco Landesman
2005 Roger Berlind
2004 Thomas C. Short
2003 Martin Richards
2002 James M. Nederlander
2001 Tom Dillon
2000 Related Companies L.P.
Philip J. Smith
Kevin Spacey
1999 Sir Cameron Mackintosh
Bernadette Peters
1998 Gerald Schoenfeld
Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.
1996 Tina Brown
Merle Debuskey
Frederic Rosen
1995 Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
J.P. Morgan & Co., Inc.
1994 Frank A. Bennack, Jr.
Jonathan S. Linen
Robert Whitehead
1992 Bernard B. Jacobs
1989 Lucille Lortel
1987 George Abbott
1985 Alexander H. Cohen
1983 George Burns
Armina Marshall
1982 James M. Nederlander
1981 Ronald Reagan
1980 Nedda Harrigan Logan
1979 Frances McCarthy
1978 Bernard B. Jacobs
Gerald Schoenfeld
1977 Mrs. Martin Beck
Joseph Papp
1976 Louis A. Lotito
1975 Ellen Burstyn
Charles Grodin
Robert Preston
Vincent Sardi
1974 Jacob I. Goodstein
Debbie Reynolds
1973 Clive Barnes
Harry Hershfield
1972 Alfred Lunt & Lynn Fontanne
Harold Prince
Neil Simon
1971 Danny Kaye
Warren P. Munsell
Richard Rodgers
1970 Brooks Atkinson
Katharine Hepburn
Ethel Merman
1969 Hon. John V. Lindsay
1968 Angela Lansbury
1967 Ed Sullivan
1966 Warren A. Schenck
1964 Angus Duncan
Zero Mostel
Floyd W. Stoker
1963 Lawrence Shubert Lawrence, Jr.
Newbold Morris
1962 American Shakespeare Festival
League of Off-Broadway Theatres
1960 Nanette Fabray
Sam Levene
Music Fair Enterprises
1959 Ralph Bellamy
Council of Stock Theatres
Stephen P. Kennedy
Mary Martin
Musical Arena Theatre Assn.
1958 Actors’ Equity Association
Charles Dow Clark
Fact Finding Committee of the Entertainment
Unions in New York
Helen Hayes
League of New York Theatres
J.J. Shubert
Walter Vincent
1910 William Howard Taft

Lee Strasberg Artistic Achievement Award
Actor, director and the foremost acting teacher of his time, Lee Strasberg would have been 100 years old on November 17, 2001. To commemorate his 100th birthday, the Entertainment Community Fund renamed its Artistic Achievement Award in his honor, to be presented annually to an outstanding member of the performing arts community. Chosen by a Selection Committee comprised of Johnny Depp, Tom Freston, Whoopi Goldberg, Al Pacino and Anna Strasberg, the first recipient of this prestigious award in 2002 was Susan Sarandon.  

2012 Harry Belafonte
2011 Al Pacino
2008 Renée Fleming
2006 Vanessa Redgrave
2004 Meryl Streep
2003 Johnny Depp
2002 Susan Sarandon

Nedda Harrigan Logan Award
The Nedda Harrigan Logan Award was inspired by the former actress and Entertainment Community Fund President to organizations that enrich the entertainment community. The daughter of legendary performer Ned Harrigan—of Harrigan and Hart—and the wife of Broadway Producer Joshua Logan, Nedda was beloved in the entertainment community and extremely devoted to the Fund. The Nedda Harrigan Logan Award is a music box that traditionally plays the tune “H–A–DOUBLE–R–I–G–A–N SPELLS HARRIGAN” – which was written by Nedda’s father and George M. Cohan.

2013 Anne Jeffreys
2008 Alec Baldwin
2006 Jed W. Bernstein
2006 Alan Eisenberg
2005 Richard Greenblatt
2005 John McGuire
2004 Cy Coleman 
2004 J. Nicholas Counter III
2003 John Kander & Fred Ebb
2003 Craig Zadan & Neil Meron
2001 Jerry Herman

Tom Dillon Humanitarian Award
The Tom Dillon Humanitarian Award was established in memory of the Fund’s cherished former president who passed away in 2005. From 1989 to 2004, Mr. Dillon was President of the Entertainment Community Fund.  His 15-year tenure made him one of the longest-serving Presidents in the Entertainment Community Fund’s history. He stewarded the organization through a period of significant growth and accomplishment.  Mr. Dillon was also Shepherd of the Lambs Club, the oldest theatrical club in the country, for 17 years, and subsequently served as Shepherd Emeritus.

2005 Phyllis Newman

Julie Harris Award for Artistic Achievement
The Julie Harris Artistic Achievement Award was established in celebration of the achievements of a variety of artists from our creative community. This honor is named for stage, screen and television actress Julie Harris, who was honored with five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, as well as an Academy Award nomination. In 1994, Ms. Harris was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame and received the 2002 Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award.

2013 Barbara Cook
2012 Jason Alexander   
2011 Hal Holbrook         
2010 Brian Stokes Mitchell
2009 Chita Rivera          
2008 Tommy Tune         
2007 Jerry Herman         
2006 Liza Minnelli          
2005 Stockard Channing
2004 James Earl Jones
2003 Rita Moreno 
2002 Carol Channing
2001 Lauren Bacall
2000 Tyne Daly
1999 Charles Durning
1998 Gwen Verdon
1997 Julie Harris

Artistic Achievement Award
The Entertainment Community Fund’s Artistic Achievement Award was established to honor an outstanding member of the performing arts community.

2013 Nancy Dussault
June Lockhart
Millicent Martin
Charlotte Rae
Cathy Rigby
Marissa Jaret Winokur
2005 Billy Crystal
2000 Kevin Spacey
1999 Bernadette Peters

Corporate Citizen Award
The Entertainment Community Fund Corporate Citizen Award has been given to organizations that enrich the entertainment community. In the past years, our Gala has celebrated such visionary corporate leaders as The Hearst Corporation NY and JP Morgan and Company. 

2003 Martha Nelson, People Magazine
2000 Related Companies

Lifetime Achievement Award
The Entertainment Community Fund’s Lifetime Achievement Award was established to honor the outstanding accomplishments of a lifetime in performing arts and entertainment.

2004 Angela Lansbury

The Entertainment Community Fund’s Career Transition For Dancers Award
The Entertainment Community Fund’s Career Transition For Dancers Award is presented to a member of the dance community to recognize “Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance” while raising funds to benefit the Fund’s Career Transition For Dancers program.

2018 John DeLuca 
Baayork Lee 
Rob Marshall 
Jerry Mitchell 

2017 Robert Fairchild 
Carrie Ann Inaba  
Catherine Zeta-Jones 

2016 Joe Lanteri 
Barbara & Donald Tober

Heart & Soul Award
The Entertainment Community Fund’s Heart & Soul Award was presented at our Heart & Soul Gala, to recognize “Outstanding Contributions to the World of Dance” while raising funds to benefit the Fund’s Career Transition For Dancers program.

2019 Gillian Murphy, Heart & Soul Dance Award
Anka Palitz, Heart & Soul Philanthropic Award
Ethan Stiefel, Heart & Soul Dance Award

2018 Dr. Omar & Cheryl Almallah, Heart & Soul Philanthropic Award 
Wendy Whelan – Heart & Soul Dance Award