Princess Grace Awards Gala To Honor Actress Bernadette Peters With The Prince Rainier III Award

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA has announced that three-time Tony award recipient and Golden Globe winning actress Bernadette Peters will accept the distinguished Prince Rainier III Award for her outstanding artistry and exemplary philanthropic give-back. The 37th Annual Princess Grace Awards Gala will be held on November 25, 2019 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. Performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

In the presence of His Serene Highness The Prince of Monaco, with Major Gala supporters Rod & Karen Gancas as Crown Sponsors, the 2019 Princess Grace Awards Gala continues the legacy of Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco, who helped emerging artists pursue their artistic goals during Her lifetime. In total, the Foundation awards over $1 million to artists in theater, dance, and film annually.

The Prince Rainier III Award recognizes a renowned leader in the arts whose own accomplishments are coupled with demonstrated service to their community. Past recipients of the Award include Julie Andrews, Mikhail Baryshnikov, James Cameron, Glenn Close, Tim Daly, Dick Van Dyke, Queen Latifah, George Lucas, Mandy Patinkin, Robert Redford, Twyla Tharp, Cicely Tyson, Denzel Washington.

The Prince Rainier III Award includes a grant of $15,000 to the philanthropic organization of the recipient's choice and a uniquely designed sculpture by artist Alex Soldier. Soldier designed a stunning work of art incorporating symbols representing all three disciplines lauded by the Foundation: theater, dance, and film.

As previously announced, the evening will also honor past Princess Grace Award winner Chinonye Chukwu with the 2019 Princess Grace Statue Award for her continuing excellence in her chosen discipline. Chinonye's film Clemency garnered her the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival and will be released December 27, 2019.

His Serene Highness Prince Albert ll of Monaco said, "It is a pleasure to preside over this year's Gala in what would have been my mother's 90th birthday. Celebrating emerging artists was Her passion and I am proud to keep Her legacy alive through Princess Grace Award winners who continue to be today's artistic leaders worldwide. It is also my distinct pleasure to announce that the legendary Bernadette Peters will be this year's Prince Rainier lll honoree. Throughout her illustrious career, Ms. Peters has devoted her life to ensuring the welfare of others. We applaud her tireless efforts supporting projects such as Broadway Barks and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS."

Brisa Trinchero, CEO of the Princess Grace Foundation-USA shared, "As one of the great icons of our time, it is our honor to bestow Bernadette Peters with the Prince Rainier III Award. In addition to delighting audiences on both stage and screen, Ms. Peters impressive philanthropy mirrors her boundless talent. Over decades, she has demonstrated outstanding humanitarian work by co-founding Broadway Barks, an animal welfare organization focusing on the plight of animals in need."

Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage, film and television, in concert, and on recordings. Best known for her work on stage, Bernadette recently starred on Broadway as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the hit musical, Hello, Dolly! She also boasts an impressive list of television credits, including Amazon Prime's highly popular "Mozart in the Jungle," and CBS All-Access series, "The Good Fight."

She has garnered numerous accolades including three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, three Emmy and four Grammy Award nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Peters received both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Song and Dance. She also won a Tony Award for her performance in Annie Get Your Gun. She received Tony nominations for her outstanding performances in Sam Mendes' critically acclaimed revival of Gypsy, in Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl, Stephen Sondheim's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George, the Jerry Herman/Gower Champion ode to the movies, Mack and Mabel, and the Leonard Bernstein/Comden and Green musical On The Town. In addition to these honors, Peters earned a Drama Desk nomination for her unforgettable portrayal of the Witch in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods.

Other television credits include NBC-TV's "Smash," ABC-TV's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Ugly Betty." She starred in the Lifetime TV movie Living Proof, and has lit up the silver screen in 17 films throughout her career. She received a Golden Globe Award for her performance in "Pennies From Heaven." Other film credits include The Jerk, The Longest Yard, Silent Movie, Annie, Pink Cadillac, Slaves of New York, Woody Allen's Alice, Impromptu, It Runs in the Family, and Coming Up Roses.

Bernadette has recorded six solo albums, including the Grammy-nominated I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall, and Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein.

Bernadette devotes her time and talents to numerous events that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Her "pet project" Broadway Barks, which she co-founded with Mary Tyler Moore, benefits shelter animals in the New York City area. She is a New York Times best-selling author who penned three children's books: Broadway Barks, Stella is a Star, and Stella and Charlie: Friends Forever.