William H. Macy, Wendie Malick, Richard Kind and More Among 2017 Carney Award Honorees

The Carney Awards announced today that this year's class of exemplary honorees includes favorites of stage and screen William H. Macy, Wendie Malick, William Fichtner, Richard Kind and Xander Berkeley. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" host Tom Bergeron will host the evening's program on Sunday, October 29, 2017, at The Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA.

Named in honor of the late, great Oscar and six-time Emmy winning actor Art Carney, the Carney Awards were created by Elvis Duran Group CEO David Katz, his brother Jim Katz, an Emmy Award winning producer, and BrIan Carney, actor/voice-over artist and Art's son. The Carney Awards is a joint production between The Elvis Duran Group and Radcliffe Road Pictures. National radio personality Elvis Duran, the Katz brothers and Carney are executive producers.

"I never understood why the hardest working actors in Hollywood were almost always excluded from receiving awards and recognition for the great work that they do. We created the Carney Awards to RECTIFY that injustice. Character actors are the back bone of almost every movie and television show ever made. It's time for them to get the recognition they so deserve. I don't want people pointing anymore saying 'Hey, it's that guy!' I want them saying, 'Hey, that's William H Macy, William Fichtner, Wendie Malick, Xander Berkeley or Richard Kind," Elvis Duran said.

"Character actors are rarely singled out and given the recognition they not only deserve, but that they've earned. It was my father's wish that this award would do just that. He wanted them to get their chance in the spotlight. And he wanted it done with integrity and class. The Carney Awards accomplishes his wishes on every level," BrIan Carney said.

Now in its third year, The Carney Awards honors Hollywood's leading character actors each year for their outstanding achievements in character acting.

Past honorees include Gary Cole, Stephen Tobolowsky, Dan Hedaya, Conchata Ferrell, Steve Buscemi, Bob Balaban, Michael Ealy, Bruce McGill, David Paymer, CCH Pounder and Jonathan Banks.

For more information, visit www.thecarneyawards.com or follow @CarneyAwards on Twitter.

The Elvis Duran Group is an entertainment company focused on creating content for numerous platforms including radio, television, theater, film, live events and digital. Based in New York City, Katz and top-rated national radio personality Elvis Duran launched the privately held company in 2007. Duran hosts Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, the most listened to Top 40 morning show in the U.S.