Hollywood took a break from awards season to honor the valiant efforts of Michael Douglas and Ghada Irani during the biennial UNICEF Ball at The Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas was honored with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Peace Award for his continued commitment to the survival and welfare of the world’s children. His “Behind the Candlabra” co-star served as the evening’s co-emcee Matt Damon with Jerry Weintraub.
Douglas turned the tables on Damon when he surprised the actor with an award for his humanitarian work. The “The Bourne Identity” actor has continually fought for better access to clean water and sanitation for the 780 million people worldwide who currently live without it.
U.S. Fund for UNICEF Southern California Board Chair, Ghada Irani was presented with the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Leadership Award for her support in furthering UNICEF’s mission.
Many celeb supports including Don Cheadle, Anna Kendrick, James Marsden, UNICEF Ambassador Téa Leoni, Danny Devito, Michael Sheen, Sylvester Stallone, Leah Remini, Suzanne Somers, Sasha Alexander, UNICEF Ambassador Alyssa Milano and CEO and President of U.S. Fund for UNICEF Caryl Stern came out to honor Douglas and Irani.
The evening took a theatrical turn when “Dancing with the Stars” alums Cheryl Burke and Val Chmerkovskiy took the stage, and the ball ended with a striking rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth.