Actors Glenn Close and Morgan Freeman to be Honored at Oceana’s 2009 SeaChange Summer Party
Press Release Date: September 30, 2009
Location: Laguna Beach, CA
Contact:
Anna Baxter | email: abaxter@oceana.org
Anna Baxter
Today, international ocean conservation group Oceana announced that its 2nd annual SeaChange Summer Party in Orange County will honor Emmy Award winner and Oscar-nominated actress Glenn Close and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman. The event will take place on August 22 at Villa di Sogni, a private home in Laguna Beach.
“We are thrilled that Ms. Close and Mr. Freeman will be this year’s honorees,” said Valarie Whiting, Oceana Board Member and SeaChange Co-Chair with Ted Danson. “We’re confident that the involvement of Ms. Close and Mr. Freeman will guarantee a second major SeaChange success, generating significant funding enabling Oceana to continue its crucial work toward restoring and protecting the world’s oceans.”
Orange Coast Magazine named the SeaChange Summer Party one of the “Top Five Must Attend” events in Orange County. 450 people attended the 2008 SeaChange event, which raised almost $1 MM, honoring Emmy Award winner and Oscar-nominated actor and Oceana board member, Sam Waterston; Oscar-nominated film star and Conservation International board member, Harrison Ford; and acclaimed sustainability entrepreneur, John Picard. SeaChange also received recognition in media outlets including Angeleno, Coast, California Style, Riviera and Hello! magazines; Extra TV, USAToday.com, AccessHollywood.com and MSNBC.com.
Glenn Close has been nominated for five Academy Awards for her work in Dangerous Liaisons, Fatal Attraction, The Big Chill, The Natural and The World According to Garp. Most recently she won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for her role as ‘Patty Hewes’ on Damages. She was nominated for both a Golden Globe and Emmy for her role on The Shield and is a three-time Tony Award winner for her Broadway performances in The Real Thing, Death and the Maiden and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical of Sunset Boulevard. Close has been a major supporter of many charitable causes throughout her career. She is a trustee emeritus of the Sundance Institute, having served on the board for 16 years, and also supports Fountain House in New York City, a facility dedicated to the recovery of men and women who suffer from psychological disorders. She also writes a blog for Fetchdog.com and is a supporter of Puppies Behind Bars. Close, a Phi Beta graduate of William and Mary College, lives in New York and Maine.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Morgan Freeman is one of the most respected figures in modern US cinema. His first Oscar nomination was for his role in Street Smart (1987) and, in 1989, he earned a second nomination in Driving Miss Daisy. Freeman garnered his third Oscar nomination in 1994 for his uplifting role in The Shawshank Redemption, and in 2004, he received his fourth nomination, and won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby. In addition to his film work, his commanding and mellifluous voice has also led Freeman to be cast to narrate and host dozens of first-rate television specials and movies including March of the Penguins. In addition to his extensive film and television credits, he is a co-founder of PLAN!T NOW, a non-profit that focuses on hurricane preparedness through education, research and indirect relief in the form of scholarships, grants and micro loans. “Disaster happens when preparation doesn’t,” Freeman says. PLAN!T NOW’s proactive efforts encourage people and communities to access the tools they need to reduce the loss of life and destruction caused by these storms.
Kiplinger Magazine has named Oceana one of the 20 most efficient and effective environmental organizations, and Charity Navigator awarded Oceana its prestigious four out of four star rating. Less than one-quarter of the organizations evaluated by Charity Navigator have received this award.
For photos and more information about SeaChange visit www.SeaChangeSummerParty.org or contact Juliana Stein at 202-467-1906 and jstein@oceana.org.
