Jeremy Piven honored with fifth annual Columbia College Chicago Impact Award.

With three Golden Globe nominations and two Emmy Awards for his portrayal of slick-talking agent Ari Gold in the hit HBO series "Entourage," and more than 40 films and a long list of stage performances to his credit, actor Jeremy Piven easily makes the A-list in Hollywood. But his roots are in Chicago, where he was born and raised. His parents, Byrne and Joyce Piven, who were instrumental in establishing The Second City, founded the famed Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston, where actors such as John and Joan Cusack, Roseanna Arquette, and Aidan Quinn came to study. Jeremy Piven lives in Malibu now, but he remains committed to the theater his parents founded, and comes home to Chicago frequently.

On November 17, Columbia honored Piven with the fifth annual Columbia College Chicago Impact Award, presented at the Montmartre Lounge in Hollywood. Since its inception in 2003, the Columbia College Chicago Impact Award (formerly the Chicago Spirit Award) has been given each year to a Chicagoan who has made an impact on the L.A. entertainment industry without losing touch with his or her Midwestern roots. Previous recipients include Joe Mantegna, Jim Belushi, Sherry Lansing, and Virginia Madsen. The awards provide an opportunity to celebrate Columbia’s West Coast connections and deepen our alumni’s access to movers and shakers within the industry. Proceeds from the event support the Bob Enrietto Scholarship Fund, which enables students with financial need to attend Columbia’s Semester in L.A.—the only college-credit program permanently located on a Hollywood studio lot.

Alumni guests—including entertainment reporter Steve Kmetko (’76), actress Cindy Marinangel (’00), executive producer Len Amato (BA, ’75), writer/director/producer Charlie Carner (BA, ’78), film editor Peter Teschner (’80), actress Isabella Hofmann (BA, ’81), and model Patricia Kara (’94)—walked the red carpet and joined other members of the Hollywood and Columbia communities for food, drinks, and celebration as writer/actor Steve Pink (’89) presented the well-deserved award to his friend and colleague, Piven.