The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is an American award for humor awarded by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts annually since 1998. It is named after the 19th century novelist, essayist and humorist Mark Twain and is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to American humor. The prize is presented and the show is taped in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington DC, during which the honoree is celebrated by his or her peers. The event is a significant fundraiser to benefit the Kennedy Center, which sells tickets as well as access to dinners and after-parties featuring the celebrities.
Recipients of the Twain Prize receive a copy of an 1884 bronze portrait bust of Mark Twain sculpted by Karl Gerhardt (1853-1940).
Video Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Award history
The award is the creation of the Kennedy Center along with Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, and Cappy McGarr, who are also executive producers of the television show.
The first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was presented to comedian Richard Pryor on October 20, 1998. The first two years of The Mark Twain Prize (Richard Pryor and Jonathan Winters) were taped and broadcast on Comedy Central. Since then, the award presentations have been taped for broadcast on PBS.
In 2004 Lorne Michaels became the first, and to date, only recipient of this American Humor prize to be born and raised outside of the United States (Michaels is Canadian-American).
In 2007, the Mark Twain Prize celebrated its 10th anniversary and presented the prize to Billy Crystal. The show was held in the Opera House of The Kennedy Center on October 11, 2007 and was broadcast on November 12, 2007 on PBS. The evening's presenters included Bob Costas, Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon, Whoopi Goldberg, John Goodman, David Letterman, Jon Lovitz, Rob Reiner, Paul Shaffer, Martin Short, Joe Torre, Barbara Walters and Robin Williams.
George Carlin died on June 22, 2008, just four days after it had been announced he would be that year's honoree. Commentators wondered whether there would be alterations to the presentation, but after consultations with both Carlin's family and PBS, the ceremony took place as scheduled, with no major changes to the presentation format.
Bill Cosby accepted his award at the Kennedy Center on October 26, 2009. He had twice refused the honor, stating that he was disappointed with the profanity used in the inaugural ceremony honoring Richard Pryor. The Kennedy Center stripped Cosby of his award and his 1998 Kennedy Center Honors in May 2018 after his conviction for sexual assault.
In 2010, 40-year-old Tina Fey became the youngest person to ever receive the award.
Maps Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Recipients of the Mark Twain Prize
- 1998 - Richard Pryor
- 1999 - Jonathan Winters
- 2000 - Carl Reiner
- 2001 - Whoopi Goldberg
- 2002 - Bob Newhart
- 2003 - Lily Tomlin
- 2004 - Lorne Michaels
- 2005 - Steve Martin
- 2006 - Neil Simon
- 2007 - Billy Crystal
- 2008 - George Carlin
- 2009 -
Bill Cosby - 2010 - Tina Fey
- 2011 - Will Ferrell
- 2012 - Ellen DeGeneres
- 2013 - Carol Burnett
- 2014 - Jay Leno
- 2015 - Eddie Murphy
- 2016 - Bill Murray
- 2017 - David Letterman
- 2018 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus
a Carlin's award was presented posthumously.
b Cosby's award was rescinded in 2018.
See also
- Kennedy Center Honors, during which the following comedians, comic actors, and humorists have been honored: Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Neil Simon, Bill Cosby (since rescinded), Carol Burnett, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, David Letterman, and Lily Tomlin.
References
External links
- Mark Twain Prize from the Kennedy Center website
- Mark Twain Prize from the PBS website
- Award ceremony videos (from the PBS website):
- 2010: Tina Fey
- 2011: Will Ferrell
- 2012: Ellen DeGeneres
- 2013: Carol Burnett
- 2014: Jay Leno
- 2015: Eddie Murphy
- 2016: Bill Murray
Source of article : Wikipedia
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