Richard Dreyfuss

Richard Dreyfuss has always included political and social activism as a normal part of his life. After high school, at the height of the Vietnam War, he spent two years as a conscientious objector, doing alternative service as a clerk at Los Angeles County General Hospital. He has campaigned for candidates and causes, given testimony before United States Congressional and other governmental committees, and created projects that address critical needs. Mr Dreyfuss is an avid reader of history and a champion of educational programming. He has long been a presence on the global stage working to promote solutions to the Arab/Israeli conflict. In 2003 he was the host of the live Geneva Accords. In November 2005, Mr Dreyfuss became a Senior Associate Member of St Antony’s College, Oxford.

RESEARCH AREAS OF INTERESTS:
- The biography of the idea of Democracy, what it offers, what it’s weaknesses are.
- Necessity of Teaching Reason, Logic, Debate, and Civility as critical tools.
- Modern Warfare and international relations.
- American foreign policy and civic obligation.
- Conscription and national service.
- The Middle East.

BOARDS AND AFFILIATIONS:
· Council on Foreign Relations
· Discovery Global Education Fund
· National Constitution Center
· ACLU Foundation of Los Angeles
· Americans for Peace Now
· Los Angeles Theater Works

MAJOR SPEECHES:
1990, August Midwest Academy, Chicago, Illinois
American progressive grassroots political organization; speaking on the Idea of America

1991, October American Magazine Conference, Naples, Florida
Conference recognizing Publishers and Editors of key US newspapers and magazines; speech addressing Re-engaging American population in democratic process

1991, February Social Venture Network, New York, New York
Addressed the members of a project providing a supportive environment for regional entrepreneurs, representing non-profit and for profit entities.

1994, June Yale Union, New Haven, Connecticut
Topic: Should national service be compulsory?

1997, April George Mason University, Fall Church, Virginia
Addressed the students of the university on the topic of ‘Ideas for a more engaged citizenry’.

1998, November Grantmaker Forum on National and Community Service, New York, New York
Key note speaker addressing Foundation and National/Community Service Heads.

2000, October National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Keynote Speaker for the groundbreaking ceremony of the centre dedicated to increasing public understanding of the US constitution.

2004, November The Oxford Union, Oxford, England
The Oxford Union Society Topic: Would this House reelect George W Bush?

2005, January London School of Economics, London, England
Spoke to the students of the Institute of Social Psychology on the topic of the 2004 US election campaign and the Bush administration.

2005, February Goodenough College, London, England
Addressed the students and faculty on the subject of Democracy and the 2004 US Presidential election.

POLITICS AND PHILANTHROPY:
1988-89 Imagining the Peace: Alternative Future for the Middle East
Examination by academic teams from the Middle East (Israeli, Syrian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Palestinian) describing their scenarios for a possible future of coexistence for the region. The reports were shared with key opinionmakers and stakeholders throughout the US and Middle East. The Palestinian team published their paper in the prestigious Journal of Palestine Studies, and the exercise was used by Israeli negotiators at their last formal session with the Syrians at the Wye River Plantation.

1990 Light at the End of the Tunnel: the Middle East Peace Conference of 1992
An innovative effort in which Middle East experts tool part in a step by step “peace gaming” exercise describing how to get from the bleak reality of 1987 to a signed peace treaty by 1992. Project members included historian Francis Fukuyama, Ambassador Samuel Lewis (Israel 1977-1985) and Middle East experts Dr. Rashid Khalidi (Columbia) and Dr. Steven Spiegel (UCLA).

1991 LA Works
Co-founder of Los Angeles nonprofit public action and volunteer center.

1991-1992 For the Record
Founder, US Advisory Board Chair of a unique digest that translated a wide spectrum of Israeli and Arab new articles for opinion makers in the United States to offer those of all ideologies an opportunity to read the wide variety of views from the frontline populations. Funded by the Ford Foundation.

1992 National Service and Community Testimony, Los Angeles, California
Offered testimony to a governmental committee researching the creation of what became the Corporation for National and Community Service, the sponsor of Americorps and other major service and volunteerism efforts.

1994 Papal Concert to Commemorate the Holocaust, Rome, Italy
Participated in a major event of reconciliation arranged by His Holiness Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, attended by the chief Rabbi of Rome and dedicated to the memory of the Jews of the Holocaust which included a private audience, with the Pope, and a public recitation of the Kaddish (Jewish prayer for the dead) by Mr. Dreyfuss.

2000 Opening the Channels: Columbia Forum on Television & Society in the Middle East, New York
A groundbreaking conference bringing together broadcast/electronic media practioners from Israel and the Arab world, driven in part by the creation and success of Al Jazeera.

2003 Geneva Accords, Geneva, Switzerland
Host of the Geneva Accords ceremony that saw Israelis and Palestinians signing a historic non-governmental peace agreement. The initiative attempted to forge a route to peace in the Middle East by bringing together dignitaries and politicians from both sides of the conflict.

2005 Broadcast Media in the 21st Century: Engaging the World, Salzburg, Austria
Another major effort co-hosted with Salzburg Seminar and the Center for Strategic and International Studies bringing together high level news media figures from the Arab world, America and Europe to discuss the future of the electronic news media, particularly in the Arab world.

ARTISTIC AWARDS:
1974
Nominated for Golden Globe for American Graffiti
1976
BAFTA nomination for Jaws
1977
Oscar for The Goodbye Girl
BAFTA for The Goodbye Girl
LA Film Critics Association Award for The Goodbye Girl
1978
Hasty Pudding Man of the Year
Academy of Science Fiction & Horror Films nominated for Saturn Award for Close Encounters of the Third Kind
David di Donatello Award for The Goodbye Girl
1987
in Fine Art from Kenyon College
1988
Golden Globe nomination for Nuts
1994
USA Film Festival Master Screen Artist Tribute
1996
Oscar nomination for Mister Holland's Opus
Golden Globe Nomination for Mister Holland’s Opus
Heartland Film Festival Crystal Heart Award
1999
Montreal World Film Festival: Winner, Grand Prix Special des Ameriques for Exceptional Contribution to the Cinematographic Art
2000
Hollywood Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award
2001
Winner, Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for The Old Man Who Read Love Stories
2002
SAG nomination for The Day Reagan Was Shot
SAG nomination for The Education of Max Bickford
Golden Satellite Award for The Day Reagan Was Shot
2004
Drama League nomination for Sly Fox.