Annette Bening named Harvard Pudding Woman of the Year

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

Pudding is the oldest theater organization in the country and one of the oldest theater organizations in the world. It has given this award annually since 1951 to women who have “made a lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment.” Other winners included Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Coolidge.

Wearing a brown jacket, hat and sunglasses as the parade moved through Cambridge, Bening blew kisses to the crowd, at which point he was pecked on both cheeks by drag performers. Benning, who was to be roasted before attending a performance of Hasty Pudding Theatres’ 175th production of “Heist Heist Baby” on Tuesday night, broke into a can dance with several others as the parade ended.

“We are thrilled to honor Annette Bening on this milestone 175th anniversary of Hasty Pudding,” said Josh Hillers, the organization’s president. “With her Oscar nomination for Best Actress just around the corner, we are thrilled to present her with the entertainment industry’s most prestigious award.”

Bening, who also won the Screen Actors Guild Award and starred in “The Hustlers” and “American Beauty,” earned her fifth Oscar nomination for “Best Actress” for her portrayal of spiky long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad in “”. 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 the 2024 Man of the Year Award. It will honor Friday night.