“Being presented with the Actors Fund Medal of Honor tonight is especially meaningful, because Meryl Streep hasn’t got one of these….yet,” Robert De Niro said at the April 25 gala in Gotham. After rattling off a list of former recipients, he added, “And by next year, Meryl will probably have three of these awards.
“I’ve been extraordinarily lucky. Really, really lucky,” De Niro continued. “We’re here tonight for those who haven’t been so lucky.” (Indeed, event raised $1.4 million for the fund’.)
When De Niro accepted the award from Chazz Palminteri, he quipped, “It’s not everyone I let place a ribbon around my neck. I guess this means we’re going steady.”
The gala at the Marriott Marquis was peppered with performances by Broadway thesps, some of whom reminded the aud that this was supposed to be their night off.
Earlier in the evening, HBO received the Actors Fund Medal of Honor. Lena Dunham presented the award to Richard Plepler, who accepted on behalf of the cabler.
“Excuse me reading from this paper,” Dunham began. “I was promised a Teleprompter and then the promise was revoked, so apparently the Actors Fund does not give us everything.”
Before turning it over to Plepler, Dunham introduced an informational video on HBO, which, she said, “You will only need if you live under a rock or with elderly Jews who refuse to pay for anything but basic cable.”
