HOMELAND's Claire Danes Honored at Steppenwolf's 'Women in the Arts' Luncheon Today

Steppenwolf Theatre Company welcomes acclaimed film and television star Claire Danes as the guest of honor at the annual Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts fundraising luncheon today, February 4, 2016 at 12 noon. The luncheon features an in-depth conversation with Claire Danes about her incredible career and impact as a leading woman in the arts.

Recognized as one of Hollywood's leading actresses, Claire Danes' impressive career spans major motion pictures to groundbreaking television series. She currently stars as 'Carrie Mathison' in Showtime's critically acclaimed series Homeland, alongside ensemble member Tracy Letts. She has won numerous awards for her performance, including back to back Emmy and Golden Globe Awards and a 2013 SAG Award. Danes received the 2010 Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for her performance in HBO's trailblazing biopic Temple Grandin. Danes has starred in dozens of hit films, including the Oscar-nominated The Hours, Little Women, Baz Luhrman's William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, Shopgirl and Richard Linklater's Me & Orson Welles. Danes first caught critics' and audiences' attention in the popular series, My So Called Life, which also featured Steppenwolf ensemble members Tom Irwin and Jeff Perry, and earned her an Emmy Nomination and the Golden Globe Award for her leading role as 'Angela Chase.'

The seventh annual luncheon brings together nearly 300 leaders from Chicago's business and civic communities to honor Ms. Danes for her remarkable contribution to the field. The event raises funds for Steppenwolf's professional development programs, including Steppenwolf for Young Adults, the nationally recognized education program, the School at Steppenwolf, as well as the Professional Leadership Programs, providing apprenticeships, fellowships and internships for the next generation of arts managers and producers.

Previous honorees for Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts include ensemble members Joan Allen, Laurie Metcalf and Martha Plimpton, along with Juliette Lewis, Julianna Margulies, Margo Martindale, Julianne Nicholson and Mary-Louise Parker.

Table sponsorships, starting at $5,000 for Women in the Arts are currently available. Individual ticket, start at $200. To purchase tickets or learn about table sponsorship opportunities, contact Steppenwolf's Special Events Department at 312-654-5632 or specialevents@steppenwolf.org.

About the Honoree - Claire Danes currently stars on Showtime's critically acclaimed series Homeland. For her performance as "Carrie Mathison" she has won back to back Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama" and a 2013 SAG Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series."

Danes also received critical acclaim for her performance in HBO's Temple Grandin biopic. Based on the extraordinary life of Temple Grandin, the film chronicles how she turned her unique talent into a behavioral tool that revolutionized the cattle industry and laid the groundwork for her successful career as an author, lecturer, and pioneering advocate for autism and autism spectrum disorder educations. Danes won the 2010 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie" and the film won for "Outstanding Made for Television Movie." She also won the 2011 Golden Globe Award for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television" and the 2011 Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries."

Danes starred in Richard Linklater's critically acclaimed film, Me & Orson Welles opposite Zac Efron and Christian McKay. The screenplay by Holly Gent Palmo and Vincent Palmo Jr. is based on the novel by Robert Kaplow and is set in the heady world of Orson Welles' famed Mercury Theater. The National Board of Review named the film as one of 2009's Top Independent Films.

In 2007, Danes made her Broadway debut starring in George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion opposite Jefferson Mays. Her performance as 'Eliza Doolittle' was well reviewed by critics.

Danes garnered critical acclaim for her performances in Anand Tucker's Shopgirl opposite Steve Martin and Jason Schwartzman, Richard Eyre's Stage Beauty opposite Billy Crudup, Burr Steer's Igby Goes Down opposite Susan Sarandon, Jeff Goldblum, Ryan Phillippe and Kieran Culkin, Baz Luhrman's William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet opposite Leonardo DiCaprio.

Danes first caught critics' and audiences' attention in Ed Zwick and Marshall Hershkovitz's acclaimed series, My So Called Life, which earned her an Emmy Nomination and she was awarded the Golden Globe for her leading role as 'Angela Chase.'

Danes's other film credits include: Matthew Vaughn's Stardust opposite Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer, Lajos Koltai's Evening opposite Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Natasha Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave, Thomas Bezucha's The Family Stone opposite Diane Keaton and Sarah Jessica Parker, Jonathan Mostow's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nick Stahl, Stephen Daldry's Academy Award winning drama, The Hours opposite Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Allison Janney, Ed Harris and Toni Collette, Jonathan Kaplan's Brokedown Palace opposite Kate Beckinsale, Billie August's Les Miserables, Theresa Connelly's Polish Wedding, Francis Ford Coppola's The Rainmaker opposite Danny DeVito and Matt Damon, Oliver Stones' U Turn opposite Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Pressman's To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Peter Gallagher, Jocelyn Moorhouse's How to Make an American Quilt opposite Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft and Ellen Burstyn, Billy Hopkins' I Love You, I Love You Not opposite Jude Law and Jodie Foster's Home For The Holidays opposite Robert Downey Jr., Holly Hunter and Anne Bancroft and Gililan Armstrong's Little Women opposite Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon and Kirsten Dunst.

Danes is also an accomplished dancer and has received critical acclaim for her performances in "Edith and Jenny" and "Christina Olson: American Model" both choreographed by Tamar Rogoff at P.S. 122.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company is America's longest standing, most distinguished ensemble theater, producing nearly 700 performances and events annually in its three Chicago theater spaces-the 515-seat Downstairs Theatre, the 299-seat Upstairs Theatre and the 80-seat Garage Theatre. Formed in 1976 by a collective of actors, Steppenwolf has grown into an ensemble of 44 actors, writers and directors. Artistic programming at Steppenwolf includes a five-play Subscription Season, a two-play Steppenwolf for Young Adults season, First Look, a new play development series and Visiting Company engagements. While firmly grounded in the Chicago community, nearly 40 original Steppenwolf productions have enjoyed success both nationally and internationally, including Off-Broadway, Broadway, London, Sydney, Galway and Dublin. Steppenwolf has the distinction of being the only theater to receive the National Medal of Arts, in addition to numerous other prestigious honors including an Illinois Arts Legend Award and 12 Tony Awards. Anna D. Shapiro is the Artistic Director and David Schmitz is the Managing Director. Nora Daley is Chair of Steppenwolf's Board of Trustees. For additional information, visit steppenwolf.org, facebook.com/steppenwolftheatre and twitter.com/steppenwolfthtr.

Photo Credit: REX USA/Patsy Lynch/Rex

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