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Mel Brooks and Quinta Brunson will be receiving special awards at the 84th Peabody Awards, Deadline reported.
Brooks will receive the Career Achievement Award and Brunson the Peabody Trailblazer Award. Both multihyphenates receive the Peabody Board of Jurors' unanimous votes. The ceremony will be held in Los Angeles June 9.
Peabody executive director Jeffrey Jones said, “Mel Brooks is not only one of the most beloved comedians of all time, but he literally set the standard for television comedy from its earliest days. Across TV, film, theater, and recordings, Mr. Brooks is in a league of his own. And Quinta Brunson has emerged as a refreshingly creative force in network television comedy.”
“Peabody is proud to honor Mel and Quinta not only for their extraordinary contributions as storytellers, but particularly for their use of comedy to tell stories that matter, enriching the lives of so many,” he continued.
Peabody's Career Achievement Award is given to its recipients “whose work and commitment to broadcasting and streaming media have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture.” Brooks is honored as “a pioneer in spoof comedy and one of the most influential figures in the history of American comedic television.”
Mel Brooks' award-winning career
Brooks has received one Academy Award, four Emmys, three Tonys and three Grammys among other awards. He will join Rita Moreno, Sam Pollard, Dan Rather, Lily Tomlin, and Cicely Tyson, who previously received the Career Achievement Award.
The actor, comedian, filmmaker, songwriter, and playwright has a career that spans over 70 years. He won his first Oscar in 1969 for writing the screenplay of his first feature film, The Producers. He's best known for his roles in 1974's Blazing Saddles, 1981's History of the World: Part I, 1987's Spaceballs and the 2005 remake of The Producers.
He won his first Emmy in 1967 for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Variety for The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special. The other three he received for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1997, 19978 and 1999 for Mad About You.
Brooks won his first Grammy in 1999 for Best Comedy Album for The 2000 Year Old Man in the Year 2000. He won the other two in 2002 for Best Musical Theater Album for The Producers and Best Long Form Music Video for Recording The Producers: A Musical Romp With Mel Brooks.
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He won his three Tonys in 2001 for The Producers for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.
Brooks also received the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award in 2013, The Kennedy Center Honors in 2009 and The National Medal of Arts — the highest award the US government gives to artists — in 2016. He also got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010.
Quinta Brunson the Trailblazer
The Trailblazer Award is given to artists who influence culture and affect social change through their storytelling. Brunson created and stars in the groundbreaking Peabody Award-winning series Abbott Elementary. The award-giving body stated that her “work as the series' showrunner not only reflects Peabody's mission to honor stories that matter, but also opens doors for the next generation of Black leaders in television.”
Issa Rae and Brunson are the first ever recipients of the Peabody Trailblazer Award.
The 84th annual Peabody Award winners will be announced May 9. The ceremony will be held June 9 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles.
