STAMFORD – Actor, Director, Producer and Americares Board Member Tony Goldwyn will receive the Bob and Leila Macauley Humanitarian Spirit Award in New York City on April 16, 2026. The award for his lifetime of philanthropy will be presented at the 2026 Americares Airlift Benefit.
The Humanitarian Spirit Award recognizes outstanding individuals who demonstrate exceptional courage and a deep commitment to humanitarian causes, leveraging their talents and influence to improve lives and inspire change.
“No one exemplified the call to public service more than Americares founders Bob and Leila Macauley,” said Goldwyn. “They saw communities in crisis and took action, period. Being a part of this organization has been one of the great privileges of my life and I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award in Bob and Leila’s name.”
The award presentation will take place at the Americares Airlift Benefit at Pier 60 in New York City.
“We are so proud to recognize Tony with the Bob and Leila Macauley Humanitarian Spirit Award for his extraordinary contributions,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “He has generously given his time and used his platform to support a number of causes, including organizations that help disaster survivors, people in poverty, cancer patients and those wrongly convicted of crimes. Tony truly personifies the spirit of compassion and action that this award celebrates.”
Goldwyn first became involved with Americares more than 20 years ago, when he attended a fundraiser and heard the story of the organization’s founder – Connecticut businessman Bob Macauley – chartering a plane to rescue stranded children in the final days of the Vietnam War. Impressed by the organization’s efforts to help people in times of disaster and every day, he has been a staunch Americares supporter ever since.
He went on to join the Americares board in 2018 and has volunteered countless hours hosting fundraising events, packing emergency kits for disaster survivors and traveling with the organization to Guatemala and Puerto Rico to see its lifesaving work firsthand.
In addition to his work with Americares, Goldwyn also dedicates much of his personal time to other causes, and his exemplary commitment to humanitarian work has earned him several distinguished honors. He serves as an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer and as a trustee for the Innocence Project and the Second Stage Theater. He also is a member of the Motion Picture & Television Fund’s (MPTF) Board of Governors.
In 2024, he received the Rays of Hope Award for Excellence in Community Engagement and Awareness from GO2 for Lung Cancer, honoring his efforts to raise awareness and provide hope for those affected by the disease. In 2019, he was honored by the Television Industry Advocacy Awards for his philanthropic impact. In 2018, Brandeis University, presented him with its Alumni Achievement Award, celebrating his outstanding accomplishments in the arts and his advocacy for social justice. And, in 2013 he was honored at the Innocence Project’s Celebration of Freedom & Justice gala for his work with the organization.
“Tony truly embodies and brilliantly carries on the tradition, started by his grandfather Sam and embraced by his father Sam Jr., of taking care of our own, the entertainment industry workers who need the safety net provided by the Motion Picture & Television Fund,” said MPTF President and CEO Bob Beitcher. “His empathy and compassion for the well-being of others are a model for other industry leaders. We’re honored to have Tony on our Board of Governors and delighted to see him leading the way for his peers to follow. We couldn’t be prouder of Tony and congratulate him on this very well-deserved honor.”
Goldwyn is currently starring in the critically acclaimed feature, “One Battle After Another” as well as the popular television series “Law & Order” as District Attorney Nicholas Baxter and has a recurring role on the Emmy Award-winning HBO comedy, “Hacks.” He recently launched a new podcast, “Far from the Tree,” co-hosting conversations with his daughter, screenwriter Anna Musky-Goldwyn, and other parent/child duos who work in the same business.
Goldwyn’s latest feature directing project, “Ezra,” with Bobby Cannavale and Robert DeNiro, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Boulder International Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Sun Valley Film Festival. He was also seen in the Academy Award-winning Best Picture “Oppenheimer” and the award-winning ensemble of “King Richard” with Will Smith.
He first caught audiences’ attention in the box office smash “Ghost.” He went on to appear in numerous films including, “The Pelican Brief,” “Kiss The Girls,” “Nixon,” “The Substance of Fire,” “The Last Samurai” and “Divergent.” He is familiar to children as the title voice in Disney’s “Tarzan” and is widely recognized for playing President Fitzgerald Grant III on seven seasons of the hit show “Scandal.”
When he is presented with the Bob and Leila Macauley Humanitarian Spirit Award in April, Goldwyn will join a distinguished list of honorees including, President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and the vaccine development teams at Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer.
