In Culver City, California on October 18, 2015, the 2015 Action Icon Awards will honor stuntwomen and action-oriented actresses at the beautiful Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City, California. Hosted by award-winning journalist Shaun Robinson, the daytime event will recognize stunt performers’ contributions to film and television. CBS2/KCAL’s veteran news anchor Pat Harvey will serve as the event ambassador, and Emmy award winning actor and stunt performer Jeff Wolfe is the award gala chair. For the eighth consecutive year, the ceremony will shine a light on the talented and courageous women who often risk their lives to create some of the most impactful and exhilarating scenes in Hollywood.
“We are excited to celebrate such an amazing group of honorees at the 2015 Action Icon Awards,” said LaFaye Baker, founder of the Action Icon Awards. “These strong and powerful women continue to break down barriers, change the trajectory for women entering the industry, and inspire us all with their
perseverance.”
Debbie Evans will receive the prestigious Helen Gibson Award, named in homage to America’s first professional stunt woman. Evans’ career spans more than 30 years and she has performed hundreds of film, television, and commercial stunts. Considered one of Hollywood’s top stuntwomen, she received the Taurus World Stunt Award for “Best Overall Stunt by a Stuntwoman” for her work in The Matrix Reloaded, and won two Taurus awards for driving a Honda Civic under a moving semi-truck in The Fast and the Furious. Evans is a pioneer for women in the stunt industry, known for breaking the unspoken rules and doing stunts that at one time only men were allowed to perform.
Pam Veasey will receive the Diamond in the Raw Award. Veasey is the executive producer and showrunner for CBS’s CSI: Cyber, and has worked in the entertainment industry for more than 25 years as a writer, producer and director. Veasey has previously received two Emmy Award nominations for her writing on In Living Color, and has additional television writing credits for CSI: NY, The Tomorrow People, The District, and the drama Ringer.
Recognized as the first-ever Iranian stuntwoman, Mahsa Ahmadi, will be presented with the very special Crystal Award. Ahmadi began stunt training when she was 17. She was the first woman in Iran to sky dive and remains the only female base-jumper in the country.
Additional award categories include:
- Philanthropist Award: Arbonne Charitable Foundation
- Jewel Award: Kelli Barksdale, Jennifer Caputo, Linda Jewell
- Dynamic Duo: Kelli Barksdale and children, Shauna Duggins and Melissa Benoist, Tabby Hanson and Julia Roberts
- GEM: Jim Vickers, Thom Williams, Jeff Wolfe
- Stuntwoman of the Year: Tamiko Brownlee, Jessie Graff, Susan Purkhiser
The Action Icon Awards is a fundraiser event benefiting the Diamond in the RAW Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization that transforms the lives of foster care at-risk teen girls by exposing them to the wide array of career opportunities in and outside of the entertainment industry. The girls in the Diamond in the Raw program have been inspired by past Action Icon Award honorees including Jamie Lee Curtis, Gabby Douglas, Vivica A. Fox, Pam Grier, Linda Hamilton, Kelly Hu, Amy Purdy, Maggie Q., Shaun Robinson, Daniela Ruah, Holly Robinson Peete, Lindsay Wagner and many more dynamic women.
2015 Action Icon Award sponsors include Mixed Chicks, CBS – TV, Marika, Arbonne Charitable Foundation, iStunts, Supervisor Mark Ridley –Thomas, Stone Cold Action, McGrath & J.J. Abrams Family Foundation SAG – AFTRA and Honorable Councilmember Bernard Parks.
For more information, visit www.actioniconawards.com
About Diamond in the Raw
The Diamond in the RAW Foundation, founded in 2005 is a non-profit 501C3 organization that transforms and empowers the lives of foster care and at-risk girls between the ages of 12-18. The Foundation is devoted to inspiring and educating the young girls about careers in and outside of the entertainment industry. In addition, the organization focuses on health and wellness, and the development of vocational, cognitive and social skills.
