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25 YEARS OF KENNEDY CENTER HONORS RECIPIENTS
December 16, 2002
25 YEARS OF KENNEDY CENTER HONORS RECIPIENTS
THE 25TH ANNUAL THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS: A CELEBRATION OF THE PERFORMING ARTS, a new entertainment special celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Kennedy Center Honors, will be broadcast Friday, Dec. 27 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Walter Cronkite is the host. This marks the 25th consecutive year CBS has broadcast this festive annual tribute to distinguished artists.
Actor James Earl Jones, conductor James Levine, dancer/actress Chita Rivera, singer/songwriter Paul Simon and actress Elizabeth Taylor are the honorees for the year 2002. A complete list of current and past honorees follows:
Year Place of Birth
2002
James Earl Jones Arkabutla, Miss. James Levine Cincinnati, Ohio Chita Rivera Washington, D.C. Paul Simon Newark, N.J. Elizabeth Taylor London, England
2001
Julie Andrews Walton-on-Thames, England Van Cliburn Shreveport, La. Quincy Jones Chicago, Ill. Jack Nicholson Neptune, N.J. Luciano Pavarotti Modena, Italy
2000
Mikhail Baryshnikov Riga, Latvia Chuck Berry St. Louis, Mo. Placido Domingo Madrid, Spain Clint Eastwood San Francisco, Calif. Angela Lansbury London, England
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CBS Television...2
1999
Victor Borge Copenhagen, Denmark Sean Connery Edinburgh, Scotland Judith Jamison Philadelphia, Pa. Jason Robards Jr. Chicago, Ill. Stevie Wonder Saginaw, Mich.
1998
Bill Cosby Philadelphia, Pa. John Kander Kansas City, Mo. Fred Ebb New York, N.Y. Willie Nelson Abbott, Texas Andre Previn Berlin, Germany Shirley Temple (Black) Santa Monica, Calif.
1997
Lauren Bacall New York, N.Y.
Bob Dylan Hibbing, Minn. Charlton Heston Evanston, Ill. Jessye Norman Augusta, Ga. Edward Villella Bayside, N.Y.
1996
Edward Albee Washington, D.C. Benny Carter New York, N.Y.
Johnny Cash Kingsland, Ark. Jack Lemmon Boston, Mass. Maria Tallchief Fairfax, Okla.
1995
Jacques d'Amboise Dedham, Mass. Marilyn Horne Bradford, Penn. Riley "B.B." King Itta Bena, Miss. Sidney Poitier Miami, Fla. Neil Simon Bronx, N.Y.
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CBS Television...3
1994
Kirk Douglas Amsterdam, N.Y. Aretha Franklin Memphis, Tenn. Morton Gould Richmond Hills, N.Y. Harold Prince New York, N.Y. Pete Seeger New York, N.Y.
1993
Johnny Carson Corning, Iowa Arthur Mitchell New York, N.Y. Sir Georg Solti Budapest, Hungary Stephen Sondheim New York, N.Y. Marion Williams Miami, Fla.
1992
Lionel Hampton Louisville, Ky. Paul Newman Cleveland, Ohio Joanne Woodward Thomasville, Ga. Ginger Rogers Independence, Mo. Mstislav Rostropovich Baku, Soviet Union Paul Taylor Pittsburgh, Pa.
1991
Roy Acuff Maynardville, Tenn. Betty Comden New York, N.Y. Adolph Green New York, N.Y. Fayard Nicholas Mobile, Ala. Harold Nicholas Winston-Salem, N.C. Gregory Peck La Jolla, Calif. Robert Shaw Red Bluff, Calif.
1990
Dizzy Gillespie Cheraw, S.C. Katharine Hepburn Hartford, Conn. Risë Stevens New York, N.Y. Jule Styne London, England Billy Wilder Vienna, Austria
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CBS Television...4
1989
Harry Belafonte New York, N.Y. Claudette Colbert Paris, France Alexandra Danilova St. Petersburg, Russia Mary Martin Weatherford, Texas William Schuman New York, N.Y.
1988
Alvin Ailey Rogers, Texas George Burns New York, N.Y. Myrna Loy Raidersburg, Mont. Alexander Schneider Vilna, Russia Roger L. Stevens Detroit, Mich.
1987
Perry Como Canonsburg, Pa. Bette Davis Lowell, Mass. Sammy Davis Jr. New York, N.Y. Nathan Milstein Odessa, Russia Alwin Nikolais Southington, Conn.
1986
Lucille Ball Celoron, N.Y. Ray Charles Albany, Ga. Hume Cronyn London, Ontario, Canada Jessica Tandy London, England Yehudi Menuhin New York, N.Y. Antony Tudor London, England
1985
Merce Cunningham Centralia, Wash. Irene Dunne Louisville, Ky. Bob Hope Eltham, England Alan Jay Lerner New York, N.Y. Frederick Loewe Vienna, Austria Beverly Sills Brooklyn, N.Y.
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CBS Television...5
1984
Lena Horne Brooklyn, N.Y. Danny Kaye Brooklyn, N.Y. Gian Carlo Menotti Cadegliano, Italy Arthur Miller New York, N.Y. Isaac Stern Kreminiwcz, Russia
1983
Katherine Dunham Glen Ellyn, Ill. Elia Kazan Constantinople, Turkey Frank Sinatra Hoboken, N.J. James Stewart Indiana, Pa. Virgil Thomson Kansas City, Mo.
1982
George Abbott Forestville, N.Y. Lillian Gish Springfield, Ohio Benny Goodman Chicago, Ill. Gene Kelly Pittsburgh, Pa. Eugene Ormandy Budapest, Hungary
1981
Count Basie Red Bank, N.J. Cary Grant Bristol, England Helen Hayes Washington, D.C. Jerome Robbins New York, N.Y. Rudolf Serkin Eger, Bohemia
1980
Leonard Bernstein Lawrence, Mass. James Cagney New York, N.Y. Agnes deMille New York, N.Y. Lynn Fontanne Essex, England Leontyne Price Laurel, Miss.
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CBS Television...6
1979
Aaron Copland Brooklyn, N.Y. Ella Fitzgerald Newport News, Va. Henry Fonda Grand Island, Neb.. Martha Graham Pittsburgh, Pa. Tennessee Williams Columbus, Ohio
1978
Marian Anderson Philadelphia, Pa. Fred Astaire Omaha, Neb. George Balanchine St. Petersburg, Russia Richard Rodgers New York, N.Y. Arthur Rubinstein Lodz, Poland
THE 25TH ANNUAL THE KENNEDY CENTER HONORS: A CELEBRATION OF THE PERFORMING ARTS is a production of the Kennedy Center. George Stevens Jr., who created the Honors in 1978 with Nick Vanoff, is producer and co-writer for the 25th consecutive year. Don Mischer is also a producing; Louis J. Horvitz is director; Michael Seligman is associate producer. Along with Stevens, Sara Lukinson and David Leaf are the writers. The Honors telecast has been honored with five Emmys for Outstanding Program as well as the Peabody Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television.
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Press Contacts: Barbara Abseck 212/975-4637 beabseck@cbs.com Susan J. Marks 323/575-2118 susan.marks@tvc.cbs.com
