WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama will honor actors Mel Brooks and Morgan Freeman with the 2015 National Medal of Arts, the White House said Wednesday.
The artists and other leading creative figures have been invited to receive the medal at a White House ceremony on Sept. 22. First lady Michelle Obama also planned to attend.
The White House said Brooks was being honored for “a lifetime of making the world laugh.” The actor, director, writer and musician is one of the few artists to have won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy.
Freeman will be honored for his work as an actor, director and narrator.
“His iconic stage and screen performances have brought to life characters from the whole spectrum of the human experience, moving audiences around the world, and influencing countless young artists,” the White House said in a statement.