Richard Curtis honoured for humanitarian work

Richard Curtis is to receive a US award for his humanitarian efforts.

The writer of  Four Weddings and A Funeral, Love Actually, Blackadder and The Vicar Od Dibley will receive the honour from  the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW)

Curtis co-founded Comic Relief, in 1985 after visiting Ethiopia during the famine. Since then, he has produced more than 15 live nights of television – and Red Nose Day has raised more than £1 billion.

He  was a founding member of the Make Poverty History campaign, founded Project Everyone that fights to end extreme poverty, injustice and climate change, and is a UN sustainable development goals advocate.

In 2008, he received Bafta’s Humanitarian Awards for his prodigious charitable activities and next month will be honoured with the WGAW Valentine Davies Award.

‘The award is given to that WGAW member whose contributions to the entertainment industry and the community-at-large have brought dignity and honour to writers everywhere,’ said guild president  Howard A. Rodman. 

‘We can think of no better recipient than Richard Curtis. He is not only one of our best screenwriters but a man who has used his gifts and his position to combat poverty and injustice. 

‘Curtis is an exemplar of empathy. His work resonates strongly on the screen, and his charitable efforts have transformed the lives of the thousands upon thousands of refugees and children in need worldwide.’

Past Valentine Davies recipients include Norman Lear, Carl Reiner, Phil Rosenthal and Ben Affleck.

Published: 24 Jan 2017