Billy Crystal to Receive Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize

Tony Award winner Billy Crystal will receive the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at 8pm on Tuesday, October 11 at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The ceremony, which is open to the public, will be taped by Public Television station WETA for later airing.

Crystal won the Tony Award, along with numerous other honors, for his solo show 700 Sundays. He has appeared in such films as Throw Momma from the Train, Analyze This, City Slickers, and When Harry Met Sally. He has also hosted the Oscar and Grammy Awards, taped numerous specials for HBO, and is a director and children’s book author.

Previous recipients of the Mark Twain Prize include Jonathan Winters, Richard Pryor, Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, and Neil Simon.