Princess Grace Foundation-USA to present Queen Latifah with Prince Rainier III Award

NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) is proud to announce that award-winning actress, singer, songwriter and producer Queen Latifah will accept the prestigious Prince Rainier III Award for her outstanding contribution to the Arts and her exemplary give-back. Ms. Latifah will be honored at the Princess Grace Awards Gala in New York on October 24 at Cipriani 25 Broadway.  The evening will be hosted by supermodel, actress, and activist, Naomi Campbell, with a special performance by New York City Ballet's Tiler Peck (past Princess Grace Award winner) and Robert Fairchild.   

The 2016 Princess Grace Awards Gala will continue the legacy of Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco, who helped emerging artists pursue their artistic goals during Her lifetime.  In total, the Foundation is awarding over $1 million to artists in theater, dance, and film. In the presence of Their Serene Highnesses The Prince and The Princess of Monaco, the evening is co-chaired by Lisa and Richard Plepler, Katia and Sidney Toledano, and Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel. Major Gala supporters include: Christian Dior Couture as Presenting Sponsor and Lady Tina Green and Mrs. Lily Safra as Crown Sponsors.

The Prince Rainier III Award recognizes a renowned leader in the Arts whose own accomplishments are coupled with demonstrated service to their community.  Past recipients of the Award include: Julie Andrews, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Glenn Close, George Lucas, Mandy Patinkin, Twyla Tharp, Denzel and Pauletta Washington, Cicely Tyson, Dick Van Dyke, and Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars Redford.  The Prince Rainier III Award includes a grant of $25,000 to the philanthropic organization of the recipient's choice and a uniquely designed sculpture by artist Alex Soldier.

HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco said, "We are privileged to present this year's Prince Rainier lll Award to Queen Latifah.  She has demonstrated a devotion to helping others throughout her illustrious career as an award-winning actress, musician, and producer. Her deep commitment to AIDS and cancer research and to programs that help the hungry, youth, women and LGBTQ community have made a difference in the lives of so many."

Gala Co-chair Richard Plepler (HBO) shared: "Queen Latifah is a rare talent.  Her celebrated career began as a hip-hop artist, and she has become one of the most dynamic and diverse artists of our time.  Professionally, Queen has delighted audiences with gritty roles from Matron "Mama" Morton in Chicago, which earned her an Academy Award nomination to her 2015 critically acclaimed role as Jazz singer, Bessie Smith, in HBO's "Bessie," garnering her an Emmy nomination.  Personally, her passion for giving back rivals the passion she exhibits on the big and small screens.   We are so proud to call Queen Latifah our friend and honor her with the Prince Rainier lll Award."

PGF-USA Executive Director Toby Boshak said, "To honor the outstanding artistry and give-back of Queen Latifah in an evening hosted by Naomi Campbell celebrates the arts on so many levels. Together, they represent the multi-faceted artistry that pervades our culture.  Individually, they pursue their crafts, as did Princess Grace, with fervor, breaking barriers and redefining stereotypes. We are truly proud that they are taking part in this year's Princess Grace Awards Gala."

In addition to Queen Latifah's Prince Rainier lll honor, past Princess Grace Award winners, choreographer, Camille A. Brown and actor Leslie Odom Jr. will receive 2016 Princess Grace Statue Awards for their continuing excellence in their chosen disciplines.

ABOUT THE PRINCESS GRACE FOUNDATION – USA

The Princess Grace Foundation-USA is a non-profit, publicly-supported foundation, headquartered in New York City and founded 34 years ago by Prince Rainier III of Monaco to honor his wife, Princess Grace's [Kelly] legacy.  The Foundation's mission is dedicated to identifying and assisting emerging talent in theater, dance, and film by awarding grants in the form of scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships.  Since the Foundation's inception, nearly 800 recipients have been awarded more than $13 million. Some notable Princess Grace Awards recipients in Film include: Emmy winner Cary Fukunaga, director of "True Detective,"  Jane Eyre and Beasts of No Nation; Greg Mottola, director of Superbad, "Arrested Development", and the upcomingKeeping up with the Joneses; and Stephen Hillenburg, creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. Theater recipients include: Tony Award winners for Best Direction of a Play, Anna D. Shapiro and Sam Gold; Pulitzer and Tony Award winning playwright Tony Kushner; Golden Globe Award winner Oscar Isaac; and Academy Award winner Eric Simonson.  Dance/Choreography recipients include: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Artistic Director Robert Battle; American Ballet Theatre's Gillian Murphy and Isabella Boylston and New York City Ballet's Tiler Peck and Maria Kowroski; as well as choreographers Kyle Abraham and Michelle Dorrance.

ABOUT QUEEN LATIFAH:

Queen Latifah is a musician, critically acclaimed television and film actress, label president, author and entrepreneur. She has had amazing success in Hollywood and became the first hip-hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006. She received rave reviews, an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe nomination and a SAG Award nomination for her portrayal as Mama Morton in Miramax's Chicago.  She also received an Emmy nomination, a Golden Globe win and a SAG Award win for her role in "Life Support."  In May 2015, Queen Latifah made her way back to the small screen earning an Emmy Award nomination, Golden Globe Award nomination, and a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for her role in "Bessie," an HBO biopic that she also produced which recounts the life of singer Bessie Smith, who was also known as "The Empress of the Blues."  Queen Latifah has earned six Grammy nominations as well as a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rap Performance in 1994. In 2004, she was nominated for Best Female Rap Solo Performance for Go Head.  In 2005, she was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album for The Dana Owens Album and in 2008 she was nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Trav'lin Light.  Queen and her partner Shakim Compere have also created Flavor Unit Entertainment which is quickly becoming one of the most important production companies in the film industry. In addition to her impressive professional accomplishments, Queen Latifah is a passionate philanthropist. She is a major supporter of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has raised funds and awareness for the American Heart Association, and works with several other weighty organizations to help children and the LGBTQ community.

ABOUT NAOMI CAMPBELL: 

Naomi Campbell is an actress, activist and one of the five original supermodels. Born in London, she was discovered at the young age of 15 and has since graced the covers of more than 500 magazines. Naomi has been featured in prominent campaigns for Burberry, Prada, Versace, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino and more. She has appeared in countless TV shows, music videos and films, including "The Cosby Show," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," Madonna's "Erotica," Bob Marley's "Is This Love" and Michael Jackson's "In The Closet." Campbell executive produced and appeared as a supermodel coach on Oxygen's acclaimed series "The Face," which aired in the US in 2012 and 2013. More recently, she appeared in FOX's hit drama "Empire," FX's "American Horror Story: Hotel" and will soon be seen in a recurring role on the FOX series "Star", created and executive produced by Lee Daniels and Tom Donaghy. A passionate philanthropist, Naomi has raised massive funds for South Africa and charity across the globe. In 2005, she established Fashion For Relief and hosted its first charity fashion show to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Since its conception in 2005, Fashion For Relief has presented shows in New York, London, Cannes, Moscow, Mumbai and Dar es Salaam, and has raised millions of dollars for various causes. In April 2016, Campbell released a limited, two-volume Collector's Edition book The Art of Beauty designed by British pop art luminary Allen Jones, celebrating her remarkable career amidst the greatest legends of fashion and photography with jaw-dropping images and exclusive autobiographical text.

The Princess Grace Awards Ceremony is produced by Scott Mauro Entertainment, Inc/ Scott H. Mauro, Executive Producer for the 10th year.

For more information about the Princess Grace Awards program, please visit www.pgfusa.org

SOURCE Princess Grace Foundation-USA

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