Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren has agreed to host the award ceremony of Israel’s Genesis Prize in Jerusalem.
Organizers of the award, known as “the Jewish Nobel,” announce the selection of Mirren on Wednesday. The $1 million prize is being awarded to Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman for his accomplishments as a musician, teacher and advocate for the disabled.
“Dame Mirren has been an outspoken supporter of Israel, and we look forward to the elegance and grace she will bring to the ceremony,” says Stan Polovets, the co-founder and chairman of the Genesis Prize Foundation.
In a statement, Mirren says she is “honored and humbled” to host the ceremony. “My connection to Israel and the Jewish people has truly been a part of making me what I am today, and I am very excited to be returning to this great country,” she says.
Mirren is one of the few actors to have won the so-called Triple Crown of acting — collecting an Oscar, Tony and four Emmy awards over the years. She received her Academy Award for the 2006 film “The Queen.”
The foundation says that Mirren, who is not Jewish, has visited Israel several times, including a stint as a volunteer on a kibbutz, or collective farm, in 1967. She also has been a vocal critic of pro-Palestinian activists who have called for a cultural boycott of Israel.
— AP
Actress Helen Mirren sports a fascinator at the premiere of the film Trumbo, as part of the London film festival in London, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)
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