Celebs

Annette Bening honored as Harvard’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year

Actor Annette Bening, center, Hasty Pudding 2024 Woman of the Year, rides in a convertible with Harvard University theatrical students Nikita Nair, left, and Joshua Hillers, right, during a parade, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, through Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Mass. AP Photo/Steven Senne

By MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press

February 6, 2024

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Annette Bening, a two-time Golden Globe winner who recently received her fifth Oscar nomination, was feted Tuesday with a raucous parade full of colorful costumes and drag performers as part of festivities honoring her as Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2024 Woman of the Year.

Actor Annette Bening, center, Hasty Pudding 2024 Woman of the Year, dances with Harvard University theatrical students, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, following a parade through Harvard Yard, in Cambridge, Mass. *– AP Photo/Steven Senne*

The Pudding is the oldest theatrical organization in the nation and one of the oldest in the world. Since 1951, it has bestowed this award annually on women “who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.” Other winners have included Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Coolidge.

As the parade made its way through Cambridge, Bening, wearing a brown coat, hat and sunglasses, blew kisses to the crowd, and at point, was pecked on both cheeks by drag performers. Benning, who will also be roasted Tuesday night before attending a performance of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 175th production, “Heist Heist Baby,” launched into can can dance with several other people as the parade ended.

Actor Annette Bening, center, Hasty Pudding 2024 Woman of the Year, receives a kiss from Harvard University theatrical students Nikita Nair, left, and Joshua Hillers, right. – AP Photo/Steven Senne

“We’re absolutely thrilled to honor Annette Bening in this milestone 175th anniversary year for the Hasty Pudding,” said Josh Hillers, the organization’s president. “Hot off her Oscars nomination for Best Actress, we’re excited to present her with the most prestigious award in the entertainment industry.”

Bening, who also has won a Screen Actors Guild Award and starred in “The Grifters” and “American Beauty,” earned her fifth Oscar nomination, this one for best actress, for playing the prickly long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad in the movie “Nyad.”

Barry Keoghan, best known for his roles in “Saltburn,” “Dunkirk,” “The Killing of a Sacred Deer,” “Eternals,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin,” is the recipient of its 2024 Man of the Year Award. He will honored Friday night.