Producer Gale Anne Hurd, philanthropist Gerald Schwartz and his wife Heather Reisman, and the family of film exhibitor Ted Mann have each pledged $5 million donations to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Academy announced on Monday.
All three will have portions of the museum named after them.
The donation from Hurd, who is a governor of the Academy representing the Producers Branch, will lead to the creation of the Academy Museum Demonstration Stage, which will be used for clinics and master classes in moviemaking. The stage will named the Hurd Stage.
Schwartz and Reisman will fund the mezzanine lobby and gallery space, which will be known as the Gerry Schwartz and Heather Reisman Mezzanine Gallery.
Support from Victoria Mann Simms, Ted Mann's daughter, her husband Ron Simms and the Simms/Mann Family Foundation will be used for an intimate third-floor theater, which will be known as the Ted Mann Theater.
"Our plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures are ambitious, and the support of a diverse and committed group of partners will help to make our vision possible," noted Academy Museum Campaign Chair Bob Iger in a press release announcing the donations. "We are incredibly grateful for these vital commitments to the project."
Added AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson, "The outpouring of support for our Academy Museum has been extraordinary. Each one of these donors has a special connection to the entertainment community and we are thrilled and honored to count them as Founding Supporters of the Academy Museum."
A capital campaign chaired by Academy governors Tom Hanks and Annette Bening has secured more than half the total funding goal. Among the past contributors are David Geffen, who pledged $25 million, and Brett Ratner, who pledged $1 million.
Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Zoltan Pali, the Academy Museum is located next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in the historic Wilshire May Company building. It is slated to open in early 2017.
