Nicole Kidman to Receive Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Gala

The Hollywood Reporter said Tuesday that Nicole Kidman will receive this year’s prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award during THR’s annual Women in Entertainment breakfast gala, set for Dec. 4 in Los Angeles.

Attended by 600 industry leaders and VIPs, the invite-only gala coincides with the release of The Hollywood Reporter’s highly anticipated Women in Entertainment issue, which highlights the Power 100, a list of the most powerful female executives and talent in entertainment.

“Over the course of her illustrious career, Nicole Kidman has dazzled audiences through her dynamic performances,” THR co-editors-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Maer Roshan said. “While her award-winning work as an actress and producer speaks for itself, she has also had a significant impact on countless women and children through her philanthropic work. She truly embodies the spirit of our Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, and we are beyond thrilled to honor her at this year’s Women in Entertainment gala.”

The Sherry Lansing Leadership Award recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists in entertainment and media and was established in honor of Sherry Lansing, the first woman to head a Hollywood studio (Lansing is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures). Past recipients of this honor include Adele, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand and Viola Davis.

“Sherry Lansing has been a figure I admire deeply, so receiving this award in her name is an extraordinary honor,” Kidman said. “This moment is a celebration of the remarkable female filmmakers and creators I’ve had the privilege to collaborate with this year — Helina Reijn, Susanne Bier, Lulu Wang, Vicky Jenson, Liz Sarnoff and Mimi Cave. I also want to recognize the female powerhouses I’ve worked with throughout my career, and the ultimate woman who inspired me — my mother. I applaud The Hollywood Reporter for their continued recognition of the incredible work that women are doing in our industry and all the women we will celebrate in the future.”

Added Lansing: “I am so excited to honor Nicole Kidman at The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment gala in December. Her work as an actress and producer has left an indelible mark on cinema, as well as moved millions around the world. Beyond that, she has truly set an example not just for women in entertainment, but for people everywhere, on how to use their influence for good. I could not be more proud for Nicole to receive the award that bears my name.” 

Kidman is an Oscar-, Emmy-, SAG- and Golden Globe Award-winning actress, known for her range and versatility. Most recently, her production company, Blossom Films, produced The Perfect Couple for Netflix, in which Kidman also starred, which held the No. 1 title on the streaming platform for multiple weeks after its premiere. Kidman will next be seen in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, for which she won the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Film Festival. In 2017, the Cannes Film Festival honored Kidman with a special award for her body of work and longstanding history with the festival. She is one of only eight people ever to receive this honor in Cannes’ 70-year history. In 2024, Kidman became the 49th recipient of the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, its highest honor for a career in film, and the first Australian to receive this honor. 

In addition to her creative work, Kidman has served as a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador since 2006. She has helped raise millions over the years for the Women’s Cancer Program at Stanford as well as the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. In 2006, Kidman received Australia’s highest honor, the Companion of the Order of Australia, for her contributions to cinema and her work promoting women’s and children’s health and cancer research.

Launched in 2009, in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, The Hollywood Reporter’s pioneering Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program will celebrate its 15th anniversary at the gala. About 30 high school juniors and seniors currently participating in THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program will attend the event. The program pairs some of the brightest young women from underserved high schools across Los Angeles with some of the most powerful female executives in film and TV. Mentors have included Amazon MGM Studios’ Jennifer Salke, Netflix’s Bela Bajaria and Disney’s Dana Walden. 

A total of 275 students have taken part in the program, with mentees having received more than $14 million in scholarships over the past 15 years. An annual highlight of the breakfast, this year’s celebration will see more than $1 million in university scholarships presented to high school seniors from the program. The Hollywood Reporter is grateful for the longtime support of its Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program and Scholarship Fund partners including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Chapman University, Lifetime, Loyola Marymount University, SAG-AFTRA and The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation.  

The Hollywood Reporter also said Tuesday that the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program is now a fiscally sponsored fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The expanded partnership will bring young women engaged in entertainment career pathway programs into the mentorship program, along with the students participating through Big Brothers Big Sisters. The EIF Careers Program increases access to entertainment careers for historically excluded communities by leveraging relationships in the entertainment industry and among community-based organizations. The program has helped to secure dozens of employment opportunities for young people seeking careers in entertainment.

“We are thrilled to work alongside the incredible leadership of The Hollywood Reporter, as well as Stephen Galloway, who has so brilliantly guided this program; Sherry Lansing, our friend and esteemed board member; and the steadfast team at Big Brothers Big Sisters,” said Nicole Sexton, president and CEO of EIF and a former mentor in the WIE Mentorship program. “Our partnership will serve these young women by helping them become career ready as they simultaneously pursue their education.”

The Roybal School of Film and Television Magnet, also a fund of EIF, has also joined as a new partnership school of the Mentorship Program, creating a path for Roybal students to become future mentees. The mission of The Roybal Film and TV Magnet is to build a more inclusive pipeline of historically underrepresented, college and career-ready students interested in the film and television industries.

Best Buy has renewed its partnership, which began in 2022, with the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. Best Buy Teen Tech Centers, a program of the Best Buy Foundation, are a network of creative, youth-centered community hubs where teens can engage with the latest technology, learn real-world career skills and interact with supportive mentors. Through the partnership, teens have access to the Los Angeles Community Impact Hub, a network of up to 12 centers in LA that aim to create a direct talent pipeline that gives young people the opportunity to discover and pursue careers in the local creative economy. The Community Impact Hub also provides a pipeline of youth for the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program, with Best Buy Teen Tech Center members being selected annually for the program.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment event is presented by Lifetime, which has been one of the WIE Mentorship Program’s biggest supporters, having contributed more than $1.7 million in scholarships over the past eight years. The event is also sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, SAG-AFTRA and WME and presented in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University.