- Brandeis University awarded him an honorary Doctorate in 2006. This decision was the source of some controversy among some conservative members of the Brandeis student body, faculty, staff, and alumni who objected to Kushner because they perceived his co-authorship of Munich (2005) and some of his stated views to be anti-Israel and anti-Semitic. Kushner responded with a letter to the editor of the Jewish newspaper "The Forward" in which he said that he is "a proud Jew, a Jewish-American man" who "love[s] Israel," but whose "opinions about Israel are characterized by a serious ambivalence." Kushner was also quoted in Newsweek as saying that his statements about Israel have been taken out of context and "anybody who thinks there's a simple line to be taken on the Middle East is an idiot." Despite the protests, Brandeis pledged to go ahead and award the honorary degree to Kushner.
- On Wednesday, July 10, 2013, President Obama awarded a 2012 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal to Kushner in the East Room of the White House. The citation said: "Tony Kushner for his contributions to American theater and film. Whether for the stage or the silver screen, his scripts have moved audiences worldwide, marrying humor to fury, history to fantasy, and the philosophical to the personal.".
- Was born in New York City but spent his whole childhood (until college) in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
- Won the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the play "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches".
- He was awarded the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Angels in America" Part One-Millennium Approaches.".
- His play, "Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika," on Broadway was awarded the 1994 New York Drama Desk Award for Best Play.
- In Tony Kushner's play "Angels in America," when an angel crashes through Prior Walter's ceiling in a spectacular shower of light and masonry, Walter exclaims, "God almighty...very Steven Spielberg!" Kushner and Spielberg later worked together on Munich (2005) and Lincoln (2012).
- He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts in May 2006.
- Won two Tony Awards as the author of the Best Play winner two years in a row: in 1993 for "Angels in America: Millennium Approaches" and in 1994 for "Angels in America: Perestroika". He was also twice-nominated in 2004 for "Caroline, or Change:" as Best Book of a Musical and as Best Score (Music and/or Lyrics), the latter with collaborator Jeanine Tesori.
- His play, "Angels in America: Part Two: Perestroika," on Broadway was awarded the 1994 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Play.
- His play, "Angels in America: Part One: Millennium Approaches," on Broadway was awarded the 1993 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play.
- He was awarded the 1992 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Writing for "Angels in America" A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part One "Millennium Approaches" and Part Two, "Perestroika," in a Gordon Davidson/Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum in association with New York Shakespeare Festival.
- He was awarded the 1992 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Writing for "Angels in America" Part One "Millennium Approaches" and Part Two: "Perestroika" in a Gordon Davidson/Mark Taper Forum production at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 130, pp. 240-246. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2005.
- Invited to join AMPAS in 2006.
- His musical, "Caroline, or Change", at the Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2009 Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Production of a Musical in a Large Venue.
- His play, "Angels in America: Parts I and II" at the Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2012 Equity Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production (Large).
- His musical, "Caroline, or Change," at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California was awarded the 2004 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Production.
- Jeanine Tesori and he were awarded the 2004 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Musical Score for "Caroline, or Change," at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- Jeanine Tesori and he were awarded the 2004 Back Stage Garland Award for Outstanding Musical Score for "Caroline, or Change," at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, California.
- He was awarded the 1992 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for the Ted Schmitt Award for "Angels in America" A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Part One "Millennium Approaches" and Part Two, "Perestroika," in a Gordon Davidson/Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum in association with New York Shakespeare Festival.
- His play, "Angels in America: Part One: Millennium Approaches," on Broadway was awarded the 1993 Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Play.
- His play, "Angels in America: Part One: Millennium Approaches," on Broadway was awarded the 1993 New York Drama Desk Award for Best Play.
- Kushner among the few playwrights in history nominated for all four major American entertainment awards: the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards.
- Tony Kushner's photograph appears in an exhibit in the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans, Louisiana--a wall of photos highlighting Jewish Southerners who have made contributions to arts, literature, drama and film, sports, and other cultural endeavors. Other people whose pictures appear in the same exhibit include Kushner's fellow playwright Lillian Hellman, the actors Ginnifer Goodwin, Brent Spiner, Tony Randall, Tim Blake Nelson, and Evan Rachel Wood, culinary historian Michael Twitty, and singers Dinah Shore and Kinky Friedman.
- His play, "Angels in American: Millennium Approaches and Perestroika", was awarded the 1995 Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production in Chicago, Illinois.
- His play, "Angels in America: Parts I and II", at the Journeymen Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 1998 Joseph Jefferson Award for Play Production.
- Pierre Corneille and his play, "The Illusion", at the Court Theatre in Chicago, Illinois was nominated for a 2010 Joseph Jefferson Award for Production of a Play (Large).
- His play, "Angels in America" Part One "Millennium Approaches" and Part Two: "Perestroika" in a Gordon Davidson/Mark Taper Forum production at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California was awarded the 1992 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Production.
- His play, "Slavs!," at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California was awarded the 1995 Drama Logue Award for Outstanding Production.
- His musical, "Caroline, or Change," at the Firebrand Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company at The Den Theatre Hall Mainstage in Chicago, Illinois was awarded the 2019 Joseph Jefferson Equity Award for Midsize Musical Production.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content