Ellen Burstyn Accepts Helen Hayes Tribute to the AEA at 2013 Awards Ceremony Tonight

Ellen Burstyn, acclaimed film, television, and stage actress, will be a special guest of the 29th Helen Hayes Awards tonight, April 8 to help accept the this year's Helen Hayes Tribute, presented to Actors' Equity Association. Ms. Burstyn, a previous President of Actors' Equity, will be joined by current President Nicholas Wyman in receiving the honor on the organization's behalf.

From her 1957 Broadway debut in Fair Game to her work on stage, film, and television, Ellen Burstyn's six-decade acting career has been chronicled with acclaim. Ms. Burstyn's numerous accolades include seven Golden Globe Nominations, five Emmy Nominations including a win for her appearance on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit in 2009, four Academy Awards Nominations and a win, and a 1975 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Play for Same Time, Next Year. Named a Co-Artistic Director of The Actors Studio with Al Pacino in 1983, Burstyn served in this capacity until 1988, and has returned to serve as Co-President in recent years.

As the tenth and first woman President of Actors' Equity (1982-1985), Ms. Burstyn served as an advocate for better wages and working conditions for the organization's membership, and enacted initiatives that would spur increased employment over the following years. During her tenure, Ms. Burstyn also took a leadership role in preserving Broadway's historic theatres for future generations.

The prestigious Helen Hayes Tribute - presented every year at the Washington's annual celebration of professional theatre, The Helen Hayes Awards - will be presented to Actors' Equity Association, the union that serves and protects professional actors and stage managers nationwide, on the occasion of the organization's 100th Anniversary. The Helen Hayes Tribute, sponsored by the late JayLee Mead, annually recognizes distinguished theatre professionals who exemplify great commitment to the professional theatre.

Actors' Equity Association ("AEA" or "Equity"), founded in 1913, is the labor union that represents more than 50,000 Actors and Stages Managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote, and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions and provides a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans, for its members. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions.

The 29th Helen Hayes Awards will be held on Monday, April 8th at the Warner Theatre and JW Marriott Hotel. A signature program of theatreWashington, the Helen Hayes Awards will celebrate 150 nominated artists and productions along with the recipients of three special awards (The Helen Hayes Tribute, The Washington Post Award, and The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company). For more information and tickets to the Awards, visit theatreWashington.org or call 202-337-4572.

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