Halle Berry to receive Sherry Lansing award

(AFP/Jewel SAMAD)

Actress Halle Berry is set to receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter's 18th Annual Women in Entertainment event on December 4.

Actress Eva Longoria will present the award, and Oscar-winner Hilary Swank will give a keynote address at the breakfast event at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Barbara Walters, Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster and Glenn Close have been previous recipients of the award given to women who "play a significant role in shaping the entertainment industry."

Elizabeth Guider, editor of The Hollywood Reporter ( THR) said, "The complex role that Halle Berry plays in life as a successful, versatile entertainment professional who is committed to furthering the well-being of others, especially minorities, is as inspiring as are her film roles."

The Sherry Lansing award is named after the former actress and CEO of Paramount Pictures. She is the first woman to head a Hollywood studio and is also the first woman to be awarded the Pioneer of the Year award by the Foundation of the Motion Picture Pioneers.

Halle Berry was the first African-American woman to win an Oscar in the Best Actress category. The event will coincide with the THR's "Power 100: Women in Entertainment" special issue, which highlights some of the most remarkable women in show business. Lansing was herself named fourth in the Power 100 list in 2003.