The Television Academy Foundation toasted the 25th anniversary of its acclaimed online archive The Interviews: An Oral History of Television on Tuesday, Dec. 6, gathering industry legends from in front of and behind the camera whose work spans more than 70 years in the industry in a special Hollywood celebration.
The event included more than 40 icons currently featured in the archive, including television stars Kevin Eubanks (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), James Hong (Hawaii Five-O), Geri Jewell (Deadwood; The Facts of Life) and Michael Learned (The Waltons; Nurse) in addition to creative professionals from iconic TV shows such as Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman (Queer as Folk; Sisters), Judy Crown (Star Trek: Nemesis; The One; Blade), Ron Friedman (The Danny Kaye Show), Asaad Kelada (Who's the Boss?; Married People), and Ken Levine (Cheers; M*A*S*H; Frasier).
The evening also included a tribute to and live interview with renowned fashion and costume designer to the stars Bob Mackie, hosted by Access Hollywood's Scott Evans.
The Television Academy Foundation has been producing, preserving and curating oral histories of American television since 1997, amassing one of the largest online archives of its kind. It's a fully searchable and free-to-screen collection containing some 3,000 hours of uncensored interviews with icons and inventors from television's earliest days to current stars and visionaries, all of whom chronicle the birth, growth and ongoing evolution of American television. The complete collection is available as a resource at TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews.
"Our thanks to everyone who helped make the 25th anniversary of our irreplaceable online archive a celebratory occasion, and we salute those individuals whose contributions have been influential in the evolution of television," said Cris Abrego, chair of the Television Academy Foundation. "In the years ahead, the Foundation will continue to capture its history, make it available to television fans worldwide, expand preservation efforts and start a new chapter by prioritizing inclusive representation of its icons and trailblazers."
During the celebration, it was announced that NBCUniversal Syndication Studios' entertainment news show Access Hollywood will regularly feature segments from The Interviews archives paired with current reflections of today's biggest change-makers and talent. Titled "Access Icons: The Interviews," Access Hollywood's first segment of the series featured host Scott Evans speaking with Emmy-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary).
About the Television Academy Foundation
Established in 1959 as the charitable arm of the Television Academy, the Television Academy Foundation is dedicated to preserving the legacy of television while educating and inspiring those who will shape its future. Through renowned educational and outreach programs, such as The Interviews: An Oral History of Television Project, College Television Awards and Summit, Student Internship and Fellowship Programs and Media Educators Conference, the Foundation seeks to widen the circle of voices our industry represents and to create more opportunity for television to reflect all of society. For more information on the Foundation, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com/Foundation.
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