Duncan Henderson and Arthur Lewis to be Honored For Guild Service and Career Achievement at the 72nd Annual DGA Awards

December 5, 2019

Los Angeles – Directors Guild of America President Thomas Schlamme today announced the recipients of two special DGA Awards recognizing extraordinary contribution to the Guild: UPM Duncan S. Henderson and Stage Manager Arthur E. Lewis will be honored at the 72nd Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, January 25, 2020.

Duncan S. Henderson will receive the DGA’s 2020 Frank Capra Achievement Award, which is given to an Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager in recognition of career achievement in the industry and service to the Directors Guild of America.

Arthur E. Lewis will receive the DGA’s 2020 Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award, which is given to an Associate Director or Stage Manager in recognition of service to the industry and to the Directors Guild of America.

“Duncan Henderson and Arthur Lewis represent the highest examples of Guild service through their dedication, advocacy and representation on behalf of their fellow members, all while maintaining successful, demanding careers,” said Schlamme. “We are proud to recognize their service and their accomplishments.”

The awards will be presented at the 72nd Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, January 25, 2020 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

Bios for both recipients are below:

Duncan S. Henderson

A DGA member for nearly four decades, Duncan S. Henderson first joined the Guild in 1980 after graduating from the DGA-Producer Assistant Directors Training Program. He has served ten terms on the Western AD/UPM Council since 2002, including being elected as the current Council Chair. He was also a DGA National Board Associate Member, having been first elected in 2005, and served seven consecutive terms.

Henderson has had a prolific career working as an Assistant Director, UPM or Producer on such hit features as Peter Weir’s DGA Award-nominated Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Dead Poets Society; Wolfgang Petersen’s The Perfect Storm and Outbreak; Chris Columbus’ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Home Alone 2; and Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion – as well as Malcolm D. Lee’s upcoming Space Jam 2. Prior to becoming a UPM, Henderson worked as an assistant director on features ranging from Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky IV to John Cassavetes’ Big Trouble. As a DGA Trainee, Henderson worked on projects including Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo and Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate.

Henderson also served on the DGA Negotiations Committee for the 2005, 2008, 2014 and 2017 negotiations cycles, and as a delegate to the DGA Biennial Conventions. He has been a Trustee of the DGA-Producer Assistant Directors Training Program since 2004.

Arthur E. Lewis

Arthur E. Lewis has been a member of the DGA for more than 30 years. Since first being elected to the Eastern AD/SM/PA Council as an alternate in 2002, he has served 10 terms on the Council, including as 2nd Vice Chairperson from 2011-2013. From 2012-2016 he served as a Second Alternate on the DGA National Board. Lewis’ service to the DGA also includes his time on the DGA Negotiating Committee during the 2008 and 2017 negotiations cycles.

Lewis has been a Stage Manager on 13 DGA Award-winning productions across multiple categories including: Daytime Serials: Susan C. Strickler's “Episode #7022” of Another World (1992); Musical/Variety Don Mischer's Opening Ceremonies: Atlanta Olympic Games (1996), Louis J. Horvitz's The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (1997), Paul Miller's The 52nd Annual Tony Awards (1998), Beth McCarthy-Miller and Joel Gallen's America: A Tribute to Heroes (2001), Glenn Weiss' The 61st Annual Tony Awards (2007), 64th Annual Tony Awards (2010), 65th Annual Tony Awards (2011), 66th Annual Tony Awards (2012), and Don Mischer's We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial (2009); and Variety/Talk/News/Sports - Specials: Glenn Weiss' The 67th (2013), 68th (2014), 70th Annual Tony Awards (2016) and 89th Annual Academy Awards (2017), and Louis J. Horvitz's The 60th Grammy Awards (2018).

Also included among Lewis’ more than 100 Stage Manager credits is his work on the In Performance at the White House series during the Obama administration with such specials as Women of Soul in 2014, A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement in 2010, and Fiesta Latina in 2009 – the series also included The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song with Carole King in 2013, Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 2012, Paul McCartney in 2010, and Stevie Wonder in 2009. Additionally, Lewis was First AD on the 2018 season of Murphy Brown. Lewis lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife Patti and daughter Siona.

• The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for the 72nd Annual DGA Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.
• All Television, Commercial and Documentary nominees will be announced on Monday, January 6, 2020.
• To apply for a press credential to cover the DGA Awards, or for more information including past winners, CLICK HERE.

Past recipients of the Frank Capra Achievement Award: