The Hollywood Reporter has shared that Viola will be honored with their Sherry Lansing Award at the Annual Women in Entertainment Event! A very well deserved honor!
The honor is presented annually to a female trailblazer and philanthropic leader at the star-studded breakfast held in conjunction with THRs Women in Entertainment issue.
Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-winning actress and producer Viola Davis will be honored at The Hollywood Reporters 2018 Women in Entertainment breakfast. The annual star-studded event, which recognizes female pioneers and industry leaders, will take place Dec. 5 in Los Angeles.
Davis will receive with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, given annually to a woman who is a trailblazer and philanthropic leader in her industry. Davis, who leads an ensemble in Steve McQueens upcoming heist drama Widows, is a leader in the childhood hunger space, where she uses her own experience and story of strength to shift the discourse around the issue. From 2014-17, Davis served as an ambassador for the charitable initiative Hunger Is, raising more than $20 million to provide meals for children all over the country.
Davis has also worked to end poverty in her hometown of Central Falls, R.I.; she has donated to its public library; her high school alma mater; and the Segue Institute for Learning, a charter school. Through her partnership with the Vaseline Healing Project, Davis returned to Central Falls in 2016 to launch a free health clinic for residents unable to afford health care. The actress has also been outspoken on issues of racism, inequality and sexual violence in Hollywood.
Davis follows a long line of Lansing Award recipients, including Tina Fey, Barbra Streisand, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Halle Berry, Jodie Foster, Glenn Close, Barbara Walters and, most recently, Jennifer Lawrence.
Viola uses her fame in such selfless ways, amplifying the unheard voices of others, and has inspired tremendous change both in her Rhode Island hometown and across the globe, said Matthew Belloni, editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter. Her prodigious talent and commitment to do good is unparalleled, and she is the perfect embodiment of what it means to be a leader in the Hollywood community. I cant think of a better recipient for the 2018 Sherry Lansing Award.
Added Lansing, the former CEO of Paramount Pictures and the first woman to head a Hollywood studio: Now is the perfect time to honor a woman as bold and generous as Viola. Over her remarkable two-decade career, Viola has remained steadfast in her support for marginalized communities, while cultivating one of the greatest bodies of work in the industry. Shes a motivating and refreshing voice in Hollywood when we need it most, and I couldnt be more excited to honor her at the Women in Entertainment breakfast.
The Women in Entertainment breakfast, sponsored by Lifetime, American Airlines, Cadillac and Loyola Marymount University in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, coincides with the publication of The Hollywood Reporters annual Women in Entertainment: Power 100 list, the definitive guide to the leading women in film and television.
A highlight of the breakfast is the awarding of scholarships to young women who have taken part in The Hollywood Reporters Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. This year, each of the 18 girls in the 2018 program all from underserved high schools in South and East Los Angeles will receive $10,000 toward their university costs, and several will be granted full-ride scholarships to LMU. A total of $1.7 million in scholarships will be presented.