Jane Fonda to Receive USC's Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists

The USC School of Dramatic Arts, considered one of the world's premier theatre schools, honors cultural icon Jane Fonda with the prestigious "Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists" at a gala fundraiser on Wednesday, November 5, 2014, 6:30 p.m., at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The multi-Academy Award-winning actress/producer is being recognized for her public commitment to social responsibility, to increasing awareness of global issues and for inspiring and empowering young people, as well as for the exemplary quality, skill and innovation of her vast body of work on screen and stage. The award, created in 2009 is named for its first recipient, Robert Redford. Proceeds from the event provide scholarship support for the next generation of artists at the School.

"The Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists honors an individual who has used his or her fame to significantly bolster public awareness of important social issues. It is our hope that this award will inspire our students to be socially engaged in their lives and through their art," says Madeline Puzo, dean of the USC School of Dramatic Arts. "Jane Fonda is the consummate 'Engaged Artist,' distinguished by her wide-ranging philanthropic work and global impact. An eminent actress, she is a two-time Academy Award-winner; a fervent advocate for environment issues, peace and the empowerment of women and girls; and a businesswoman and author who revolutionized the fitness industry and has positively impacted the health and well being of countless people of all ages."

Richard Weinberg, Chair of the Board of Councilors for the USC School of Dramatic Arts adds, "By presenting this award to Jane Fonda, USC recognizes the best that the human spirit has to offer. We applaud her leadership and uncompromising efforts to better our world and strengthen the global community." He also calls 2014 "a year to celebrate Jane Fonda," noting that in June, she will receive the American Film Institute's highest honor, the Life Achievement Award.

Hailed as "American film royalty," JANE FONDA, devotes much of her time to environmental issues, peace, the empowerment of women and girls, and is particularly dedicated to the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (G-CAPP), which she founded in 1995. She serves on the boards of the Women's Media Center, which she co-founded in 2004 with Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan, and V-Day: Until The Violence Stops, a global effort to stop violence against women and girls begun in 1998 by playwright Eve Ensler. In 1994, Fonda was named Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. At the Emory School of Medicine, Fonda established the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health, which engages in research, curriculum development and training to broaden the understanding of adolescent development and reproductive health with the goal of enhancing services delivered to children, youth and families. Additionally, Fonda helped revolutionize the fitness industry with the release of Jane Fonda's Workout in 1982, which remains the top grossing home video of all time, followed by the production of 23 home exercise videos, 13 audio recordings and five books that have collectively sold 17 million copies.

As an artist, Fonda has garnered nominations and awards for nearly every performance honor imaginable, including two Academy Awards (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home), and an Honorary Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival in 2007, one of only three such awards to be granted at that time; an Emmy Award for The Dollmaker and an Emmy nomination for Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom; as well as a Tony Award nomination for her role in Moisés Kaufman's 33 Variations. Along with starring roles in more than 40 films, Fonda has worked behind the scenes as a film and television producer. Her credits include They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Coming Home, The China Syndrome, Nine to Five, On Golden Pond and Lee Daniels' The Butler. Her memoir, My Life So Far, released by Random House in 2005, went to #1 on The New York Times Best Sellers list the same spring that Monster-in-Law, her first film in 15 years, also became the #1 box office hit, making Fonda the first person in history to simultaneously have a #1 book and #1 movie. Her book, Prime Time, offers a comprehensive guide to living life to the fullest, particularly beyond middle age and Being A Teen: Everything Teen Girls & Boys Should Know About Relationships, Sex, Love, Health, Identity & More, her newest book, was released this month by Random House.

The top-ranked USC SCHOOL OF DRAMATIC ARTS, founded in 1945, recognized internationally as a leader in theatre education, blends artistic training in a conservatory environment while offering students professional experience with hands-on learning at premier theatre, film, television and performance companies. With a faculty of theatre artists working at the highest level of their profession, the School offers B.A., B.F.A., M.A. and M.F.A. degrees and an active production program of more than 20 shows annually that utilize four venues on campus. The School's strengths are reflected in the achievements of its distinguished alumni, among them actors Forest Whitaker, LeVar Burton, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, Patrick J. Adams, James Snyder, Stark Sands, Charl Brown, Deborah Ann Woll, and Swoosie Kurtz, writer/actor Grant Heslov, writer/director Andy Tennant, producer/director Jack Bender, writer/actor Danny Strong and producer Todd Black, who are making an indelible mark on their artistic fields. Our alumni have been honored with the most prestigious awards in the profession, including the Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globes. Visiting guest artists have included David Hyde Pierce, Paula Vogel, Tim Robbins, Christine Lahti, Kathleen Turner, Bill Irwin, Sir Peter Hall, Twyla Tharp and Peter Sellars.

Tickets to the USC School of Dramatic Arts gala honoring Jane Fonda are $500 per person, with sponsorship opportunities at higher levels also available. The Beverly Wilshire Hotel is located at 9500 Wilshire Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 91202. For tickets and information, please call (213) 821-4048 or visit http://dramaticarts.usc.edu/RedfordAward2014.

Photo by Tony Duran

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