SAG-AFTRA Honors David Hartley-Margolin With Howard Keel Award

SAG-AFTRA announced today that David Hartley-Margolin will be the 2016 recipient of the Howard Keel Award for his significant contributions to the union.

The Howard Keel Award is the highest honor given by the SAG-AFTRA Committee of Locals, and will be presented in Los Angeles at the Committee of Locals meeting on October 14. The award, which was created in 2008, is named after the late actor and singer Howard Keel, who served as the Screen Actors Guild’s 10th president from 1958-1959. Keel, a proponent of merger with AFTRA, expanded SAG’s national board from 39 to 52 seats, which for the first time allowed for local representation from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and Boston.

“I am thrilled to congratulate my friend and colleague David Hartley-Margolin on this well-deserved recognition," said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. "I admire his many contributions to the union and his service to the membership. David embodies the spirit and meaning of the Howard Keel Award.”

Howard Keel Award Committee Chair Nancy Duerr said, "DHM is the obvious choice to be honored as the first recipient since merger of this prestigious award. His tireless service and institutional knowledge of both legacy unions helped pave the way toward Howard Keel's vision of one strong national union. David's ability to get to the core of issues has earned him the reputation for being a voice of reason and gentle candor in every room. I am so very proud of what he has accomplished on behalf of all members."

Hartley-Margolin — known as DHM to his colleagues — currently serves as SAG-AFTRA’s vice president, small locals, a position he has held since 2012. His previous union service includes the following positions: third vice president, Screen Actors Guild, 2008-2012; AFTRA national vice president, 2001-2007; SAG National Board member SAG, 2003-2012; AFTRA National Board member, 1987-2007; and SAG Colorado Branch president, 1991-2003.

Born in Denver, Colorado, Hartley-Margolin graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor’s degree in theater. Hartley-Margolin spent nearly a decade as a disc jockey, from 1975-1984, at which time he transitioned into his current career as a freelance actor and voice artist.

Through his career, he has performed in thousands of radio and television commercials and corporate training and educational programs, both on and off camera. He can be heard as the narrator for the PBS documentary History of Communications and on more than 500 titles for the National Library Service/Library of Congress.

Previous awards include the 1995 Torgi Talking Book Narrator of the Year for fiction and the 2003 Alexander Scourby Fiction Narrator of the Year. He was one of the leaders of SAG and AFTRA’s merger, serving on the G1 Merger Committee, and received the George Heller Memorial Award gold card at the inaugural SAG-AFTRA convention in Los Angeles in 2013. Hartley-Margolin also serves as a mentor to up-and-coming union leaders.