Ron Howard, Al Michaels, and More to Be Inducted Into TV Academy Hall Of Fame

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame Committee has selected a distinguished group of television innovators and icons to be inducted into the 22nd Hall of Fame. Additionally, for the first time ever, this year's Hall of Fame ceremony will benefit the Television Academy Foundation's Archive of American Television.

This year's honorees include Emmy-winning actor/director/producer Ron Howard, legendary sportscaster Al Michaels, iconic network executive Leslie Moonves, acclaimed journalist Bob Schieffer and prolific writer-producer Dick Wolf. Additionally, Philo T. Farnsworth, credited with inventing all-electronic television transmission, will be inducted posthumously. The inductees will be honored during a gala ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on March 11, 2013, which is sponsored by Audi. The Hall of Fame gala will be executive produced by noted television producer Phil Gurin (Oh Sit!, Shark Tank, The Singing Bee).

The proceeds from the Hall of Fame gala will benefit the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation's Archive of American Television, an ongoing collection of hundreds of video interviews with the legends and pioneers of television, reaching fans worldwide at www.emmytvlegends.org.

"Each of this year's Hall of Fame inductees is incredibly deserving of this honor and is truly a legend of our industry," said Bruce Rosenblum, Chairman and CEO, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "This will be a spectacular evening, rich with stories and reminiscing. We couldn't be happier to announce that this year's event will benefit the Archive of American Television, a program of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving and celebrating television's past while educating those who will lead our industry in the future."

"We are particularly delighted that the Television Academy has chosen to make the Hall of Fame a benefit for the Foundation's Archive of American Television," added Jerry Petry, Chairman of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. "Each of this year's honorees has had their achievements and personal stories chronicled in our Archive, and we can't think of a better way to honor them than to perpetuate the good work of the Foundation."

The 2013 honorees join the more than 120 individuals previously inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception in 1984. Recognized for their extraordinary contributions to the medium, candidates are submitted by the Television Academy's membership and the industry at large to the Hall of Fame selection committee chaired by Peter Roth, President of Warner Bros. Television. In addition to Roth, this year's committee includes Marcy Carsey, Emmy Award-winning producer; Bonnie Hammer, Chairman of NBCU Cable Entertainment and Cable Studio; Rick Rosen, Board Member and Head of Television of WME; Fred Silverman, Founder of the Fred Silverman Company and former executive at ABC, CBS and NBC; and Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment.

Following is background information on this year's Hall of Fame inductees:

Ron Howard - Ron Howard is the producer and director of such landmark television programs as the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, winner of three Primetime Emmys, including Outstanding Miniseries in 1998. He produced (and provided the ongoing narration) for Fox's acclaimed comedy Arrested Development, winner of the Emmy in 2004 for Outstanding Comedy Series and in 2006 for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, as well as the NBC series, Parenthood. Howard began his career as a child actor, first appearing in two motion pictures, The Journey and The Music Man, numerous episodes of Playhouse 90, followed by his portrayal of Sheriff Andy Taylor's son Opie on the long-running television series, The Andy Griffith ShoW. Howard later starred in the popular series Happy Days and drew favorable reviews for his performances in American Graffiti and The Shootist. Setting his sights on a career as a director, Howard attended USC's Film School and eventually co-founded Imagine Entertainment with Brian Grazer in 1986 to create independently produced feature films and television. From the celebrated dramas A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13 to the hit comedies Parenthood and Splash, he has created some of Hollywood's most memorable films. Howard directed and produced Cinderella Man starring Oscar winner Russell Crowe. The two had previously collaborated on A Beautiful Mind, for which Howard earned an Oscar for Best Director and which also won awards for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. The film garnered four Golden Globes as well, including the award for Best Motion Picture Drama. Additionally, Howard won Best Director of the Year from the Directors Guild of America. In 1995, he received his first Best Director of the Year award from the DGA for Apollo 13. The true-life drama also earned nine Academy Award nominations, winning Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound. It received Best Ensemble Cast and Best Supporting Actor awards from the Screen Actors Guild. Howard produced and directed the film adaptation of Peter Morgan's critically acclaimed play Frost/Nixon. The film, which was released in December 2009, was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, and was nominated for The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures by the PGA.

Al Michaels - Emmy Award-winning sportscaster Al Michaels, one of the most renowned sports broadcasters of all time, and the commentator named "TV's best play-by-play announcer" by the Associated Press, just completed his seventh season as The Voice of NBC's Sunday Night Football. He received critical acclaim for his call of Super Bowl XLVI on NBC in February 2012, the most viewed program in U.S. television history. Michaels recently hosted NBC's weekday and weekend daytime coverage of the 2012 London Olympic Games, the most-watched event in U.S. television history with more than 217 million viewers. Michaels has covered more major sports events than any sportscaster, including 20 years as the play-by-play voice of Monday Night Football. He is the only commentator to call the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals and host the Stanley Cup Final for network television. Among his many accolades, Michaels has captured six Emmy Awards for Outstanding Sports Personality - Play-by-play (1986, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2007 and 2008) and in 2011 received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sports Emmy Awards. He was inducted into the NSSA Hall of Fame in 1998. Michaels garnered his first Sportscaster of the Year award in 1980, the year he made his memorable call, "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" during the U.S. men's hockey team's dramatic upset victory over the USSR at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Michaels was named Sportscaster of the Year by the Washington Journalism Review in 1991, and in 1996, the American Sportscasters Association Sportscaster of the Year. Regarded as one of the best baseball announcers of all time, Michaels was ABC's lead baseball play-by-play announcer during the network's coverage of Major League Baseball from 1976 - 1989. Michaels has also earned praise as a news journalist and became the second sportscaster in history to receive a News Emmy nomination for his coverage of the San Francisco earthquake during the 1989 World Series.