Jones and Mitchell Take Part in Birthday Celebration for Shakespeare, April 17

The Actors' Fund of America will celebrate Shakespeare's 442nd birthday at noon on Monday, April 17, with a birthday party and groundbreaking ceremony at The Lillian Booth Actors' Home, the New Jersey residence for retired entertainment professionals.

The celebration will feature a reading from Shakespeare by renowned actor James Earl Jones and the official groundbreaking for the renovation and expansion of The Fund's assisted living and skilled nursing care facility. After the reading, Brian Stokes Mitchell will take part in the groundbreaking ceremony.

The first retirement home for "theatricals" in this country was established by the late, and legendary, Shakespearean actor Edwin Forrest. In a verbose will, the flamboyant actor left the bulk of his vast estate to establish "an institution that shall be for the support of actors and actresses decayed by age or disabled by infirmity." In 1872, his country home near modern-day Northeast Philadelphia was transformed into the Edwin Forrest Home for Indigent Actors. The home moved to Philadelphia's Parkside Avenue during the 1920's and again in the 1980's to Englewood, New Jersey, when it became part of The Actors' Fund assisted living facility. Forrest's will dictated that the Declaration of Independence be read to the home's residents every Fourth of July and that an annual celebration be held in honor of Shakespeare's birthday. These traditions live on at The Actors' Fund Home in New Jersey.

The annual Shakespeare's Birthday celebration has been graced by performances such as Actors' Fund Trustee Lynn Redgrave performing selections from her one-woman show, Shakespeare For My Father, Rosemary Harris (with selections from Henry VIII), Zoe Caldwell, Simon Jones, Corin Redgrave and Tony Randall. This year, the legendary James Earl Jones will read "The Quality of Mercy" speech from The Merchant of Venice.

Possessing an instantly recoganizable voice, Jones is renowned as a Shakespearean actor who has performed the title roles in Othello and King Lear, among others. The recipient of two Tonys, four Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Cable ACEs, two OBIEs, five Drama Desk Awards and a Grammy, he has appeared on Broadway in On Golden Pond, Fences, MASTER HAROLD...and the boys, Of Mice and Men, The Iceman Cometh and others. Among his film credits are providing the voice of Mufasa in The Lion King and--his most iconic role--that of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies.

The reading will be followed by an official groundbreaking ceremony for the renovation and expansion of The Lillian Booth Actors' Fund Home hosted by Actors' Fund president Brian Stokes Mitchell. Tony Award-winner Mitchell (Man of La Mancha, Kiss Me, Kate, Ragtime) will be joined by Actors' Fund executive director, Joe Benincasa, and members of The Actors' Fund Board of Trustees. The celebration will continue with a lunch reception and the cutting of Shakespeare's birthday cake. For more information on the event, please call 212.221.7300, ext. 128.

"The Actors' Fund of America is a nationwide human services organization that helps all professionals - both performers and those behind the scenes - in performing arts and entertainment. Founded in 1882, The Fund serves those in film, theatre, television, music, opera, and dance with a broad spectrum of programs including comprehensive social services, health services, supportive and affordable housing, emergency financial assistance, employment and training services, and skilled nursing and assisted living care. Administered from offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, The Actors' Fund is a safety net, providing programs and services for those who are in need, crisis, or transition," state press notes. Visit The Actors' Fund website at www.actorsfund.org.