1-800-262-1627.
###
About Simon Wiesenthal Center:
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an
international Jewish human
rights organization with over 400,000 member
families. It is an NGO
at international agencies, including the
United Nations, UNESCO, the
OSCE, and the Council of Europe.
Its Moriah documentary film division
has been the recipient of two Academy AwardsTM
for Best
Documentary Feature - Genocide (1980) and The Long Way Home (1997).
For more information contact the Center's
Southern Regional office at 1.800.262.1627.
About Mario Kreutzberger:
Mario Kreutzberger, who was born into a
Chilean-Jewish German family, is
the world renowned and respected television
host popularly known by his
stage name, "Don Francisco".
Mario is the host of "Sábado Gigante," one
of
the most popular programs in the history of
Spanish-language television. In
2001 he launched the weekly talk show "Don
Francisco Presenta" on
the Univision Television Network and has
conducted interviews with a host
of celebrities and important political
figures in recent years such as
Al Gore, John Kerry, George W. Bush, John
McCain and Barak Obama.
Mr. Kreutzberger has received numerous
national and international
industry awards. In 1992 and again in 2003,
the "Guinness Book of
World Records" named "Sábado Gigante" the
longest running
television program in the Americas. In 2009, the show will complete its
47th
year, setting the record as "the longest
running television variety program in
the world, created and hosted
uninterruptedly by the same host,
Mario Kreutzberger" and was certified and
published in the "Guinness Book
of World Records 2007". In 2001, he received
a star on the Hollywood Walk
of Fame and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 2003, the Chilean government awarded him
its prestigious
Gabriela Mistral Order of Merit for his
contribution to culture and solidarity
in Chile. But to "Don Francisco," the
biggest and most satisfying professional
as well as personal accomplishment has been
the annual "Teleton" in his
native Chile, a televised benefit for disabled children that he has
produced
and hosted for over 30 years. The
organization these funds benefit operates
10 hospitals throughout Chile and provides
assistance to more than
76,000 children.
Considered the second most powerful Hispanic
by "TV Guide en Español" (November 1999),
Kreutzberger has been featured in The Los
Angeles Times, The New York Times, The New
York Post, The Washington Times,
The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald, among
many others. He has
also been featured on many important TV
programs including
"Good Morning America," "Nightline," and
"Close Up" on the ABC network.
In 2005, the National Academy of Television
Arts & Sciences recognized
Mario Kreutzberger's contributions to the
growth of Spanish-language
television in the U.S. by awarding him a
special Emmy: "Leader of
Spanish-Language Television."
During the past few years, in addition to
his work on television,
Mario Kreutzberger has been dedicated to the
production of documentaries.
He produced and appeared in
"Testigos del Silencio" ("Witnesses
of Silence"), a gripping film that
documents, in first person, his own
experiences during
the "March for Life", an event
hosted by the Jewish community to
commemorate the 60th anniversary of the
Holocaust. In the film,
Kreutzberger pays
special homage to his parents who fled
Germany and Nazi persecution to
Chile, survivors of this dramatic chapter in
the history of humanity.
Mario has been married to his beautiful
wife, Temy Muchnick, for 46 years
and together they have three children,
Patricio, Vivian and Francisco.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is proud to
honor Mario Kreutzberger this
evening as an entertainment industry leader
whose commitment to
social responsibility, cultural diversity
and philanthropy exemplifies the
essence of the Simon Wiesenthal Legacy
Award.