Haute 100 member Al Malnik was a part of history on Monday, June 20, when he was honored with a Friars Club Icon Award for Philanthropy. The award acknowledged his lifetime of giving and was given alongside Tony Bennett’s Entertainment Icon Award.
The award was presented by filmmaker Brett Ratner, Malnik’s godson, who was seated with none other than Scarlett Johansson, who stole the show in a sexy black dress. Other notables in the room include Robert De Niro, Larry King, Regis Philben, Rosario Dawson, Matthew Broderick, Kat Graham, and of course, Tony Bennett, who has been a Friar for over 50 years.
The Friars Club was founded in New York City in 1902. It has been the preeminent members-only club for entertainment professionals ever since then. The club is headquartered in a red brick building called “The Monestary” since 1980. They became famous for their risqué celebrity roasts, the first of which was televised in the late 1960s. While Malnik was “toasted” rather than “roasted,” it’s safe to say that there were probably a few classic words thrown around the room. Nobody minds though because getting recognized by the club, in any capacity, means you’ve arrived.
Friars Club’s charitable arm is called The Friars Foundation and is committed to the betterment of society through the arts, continuing its nearly half-century legacy of providing scholarships and producing entertainment events benefitting worthy philanthropic causes.
