Scott Wilson Receives Ralph Morgan Award

LOS ANGELES (March 30, 2007) – Screen Actors Guild (SAG) today announced that longtime SAG member Scott Wilson has been selected to receive the Hollywood Division’s prestigious Ralph Morgan Award. Wilson has been a Screen Actors Guild member for more than 40 years and has generously given of his time and expertise in service to the Guild’s membership and all actors.

“It has been a privilege to work with so many dedicated actors and staff for the betterment of the membership, and I am profoundly moved to be named the Ralph Morgan Award recipient. It is an unexpected and extraordinary honor,” Wilson said.

The Ralph Morgan Award is named after SAG’s first president who led the fight to establish a union for screen actors in 1933. It is given periodically for distinguished service to the Guild’s Hollywood membership.

SAG Honors and Tributes Committee Chair Paul Napier said, “Scott’s contributions to the Guild and its members are a testament to the qualities inscribed on the award, ‘devotion to the cause of actors, courage to fight for the right, [and] sacrifice of self for others.’”

Chair of the Hollywood Division Board and First Vice President Kent McCord praised Wilson’s contributions to the Guild saying, “Scott has shown a dedication to the welfare, well-being and advancement of the membership’s interests that exemplifies all of the aspects of Ralph Morgan’s words and what this award stands for. I can think of no one more deserving.”

The Ralph Morgan Award will be presented to Wilson during the Guild’s Hollywood mid-year membership meeting on Saturday, May 19, at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City.

With a thorough grasp of the issues and dedicated service both as a member and as a temporary replacement for many SAG National Board members, Wilson led by example. His advocacy of Screen Actors Guild and actors across the world helped members gain protections in wages and working conditions.

Wilson has taken a leading role in resolving major issues confronting the Guild. He was an integral part of the task force that created Global Rule One, SAG’s internal rule requiring members to work under SAG contracts anywhere in the world, and he is currently an alternate on the National Global Rule One Task Force. He has served on numerous other Guild committees over the past two decades and is a member of the SAG National Low Budget Committee.

In addition to his efforts on behalf of the Guild, Wilson is an accomplished film and television actor whose credits include In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, G.I. Jane and Monster. He has also appeared in numerous episodes of CBS’ prime time hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in a recurring role as Catherine Willows’ (played by Marg Helgenberger) father Sam Braun.

Among the previous recipients of the Ralph Morgan Award are past SAG Presidents Ed Asner, Dennis Weaver, William Schallert and Kathleen Nolan, Guild National Executive Directors Ken Orsatti, Jack Dales and Chet Migden, and members and past officers Kent McCord (current 1st Vice President and Hollywood Division Chair), Ron Soble, Marie Windsor, Ann Doran, John Randolph and Warren Kemmerling and, most recently, former longtime Guild Executive Assistant Joan Hanson.

The Ralph Morgan Award recipient is selected by the Hollywood Division of the Screen Actors Guild Honors and Tributes Committee.