Legendary
actress Carroll Baker was awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor at
a dinner held in her honor at The National Arts Club in New York City
on June 15, 2009.
Guest speakers included: actress Anne Jackson (The Typists,
The Tiger); film critic Rex Reed; Academy and Tony award-winning actress
Mercedes Ruehl (Lost in Yonkers, The Fisher King); Tony award-winning
actress Marian Seldes (A Delicate Balance, Father's Day); Tony
award-winning actor Eli Wallach (Baby Doll, The Rose Tattoo, Nurse
Jackie); author Foster Hirsch; and Dr. Patrick Suraci. Actress
Celeste Holm was also in attendance.
Baker, whose most notable film, Baby Doll (1956), garnered her a Golden
Globe and Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, joined the
esteemed ranks of previous honorees including Arthur Penn, Cliff Robertson,
Sylvia Sydney, Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Richard
Dreyfuss, Danny Aiello, Lynn Redgrave, Olympia Dukakis and Norman Jewison.