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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Harvard University announced Thursday that actor, comedian, and writer Bob Odenkirk will be Hasty Pudding Theatricals' 2023 Man of the Year.
Odenkirk will receive the award at a celebratory roast Feb. 2, after which he will attend a preview of Hasty Pudding's 174th production, "COSMIC RELIEF!"
"When choosing our 2023 Man of the Year, I immediately knew we better call Bob Odenkirk," producer Aidan Golub said in a statement. "We’re cooking up a lot of surprises to celebrate Mr. Odenkirk’s contributions to the world of comedy both in front of and behind the camera."
Odenkirk is best known for his role as shady lawyer Saul Goodman in "Breaking Bad," which turned into a lead role in the spin-off "Better Call Saul," earning him three Critics Choice TV awards and multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominations.
He is also known for co-creating, writing, and starring on the HBO sketch show "Mr. Show" with comedian David Cross, and earning two Emmy Awards for his writing on "Saturday Night Live" in 1989 and "The Ben Stiller Show" in 1993.
In 2013, Odenkirk co-wrote The New York Times bestseller “Hollywood Said No!,” a collection of unproduced screenplays, and his third book released in March 2022, a memoir entitled “Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama,” went to No. 2 on The New York Times bestseller list.
Hasty Pudding Theatricals, which dates to 1844 and calls itself the third-oldest theater group in the world, has handed out a Man of the Year Award since 1967. The awards are given out to people who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment. Past recipients include Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks, Bob Hope, Dustin Hoffman, and last year's recipient Jason Bateman.
The recipient of Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Woman of the Year Award, which dates to 1951, has not yet been announced.
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