STARS OF HEROES, HOUSE, UGLY BETTY AND MANY MORE ABOARD AS PRESENTERS FOR THE 59TH PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS,

North Hollywood, CA, Sept. 5, 2007 – Anthony Anderson, Glenn Close, Mark Harmon, Neil Patrick Harris, Ali Larter, Hugh Laurie, Eva Longoria, Joe Mantegna, Mary-Louise Parker, William Shatner and Vanessa Williams have been confirmed as presenters for the 59^th Primetime Emmy® Awards, telecast executive producer Ken Ehrlich announced today.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest (“American Idol"), the show will broadcast live from the historic Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, Sunday, Sept. 16 (8:00-11:00 ET live/ PT tape delayed) on FOX.



Anthony Anderson



Anthony Anderson will soon be seen in the new FOX drama series “K-Ville,” as Marlin Boulet. In 1996, Anderson landed his first professional job, starring in the teen series “Hang Time.” His television credits include “JAG,” “NYPD Blue” and “Ally McBeal.”

In 2003, he starred in “All About the Andersons.” He recently appeared in FX’s “The Shield” opposite Michael Chiklis and Glenn Close, and on the FOX series “‘Til Death,” opposite Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher. Anderson has appeared in over 20 films, including “Me, Myself & Irene,” “Barbershop,” “Exit Wounds” and “Hustle & Flow.”



Most recently, he was seen alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in Martin Scorsese’s Oscar®-winning feature “The Departed” as well as Michael Bay’s “Transformers.” He has earned three NAACP Image Award nominations.



Glenn Close

Glenn Close can currently be seen on Sony Pictures Television’s “Damages” on FX as Patty Hewes. Close received a Primetime Emmy® Nomination in 2005 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, on FX’s “The Shield.” With eight Golden Globe nominations, she received a Golden Globe for her role in “The Lion in Winter,” which also earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2005.



Close’s other television credits include her Emmy Award winning role for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special on “Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story,” “The Elephant Man,” “Something About Amelia,” “Stones for Ibarra,” “In the Gloaming,” “South Pacific” and the “Sarah, Plain and Tall” trilogy.

Her feature credits include her Oscar-nominated performances in “The World According to Garb,” “The Big Chill,” “The Natural,” “Fatal Attraction” and “Dangerous Liaisons.” Close’s Broadway performances have garnered her with three Tony Awards for “The Real Thing,” “Death and the Maiden” and “Sunset Boulevard.”



Mark Harmon



Mark Harmon stars in the CBS drama series “NCIS” as Special Agent, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He’s received Primetime Emmy Nominations in 2002 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series on NBC’s “The West Wing” and in 1977 for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special in “Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years.” 

Harmon has also received two Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series-Drama in 1992 and in 1993 for his work on “Reasonable Doubts.” Two additional Golden Globe nominations came about in 1987 and 1998 for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Made for TV; one for “After the Promise,” and another for his role as notorious serial killer Ted Bundy in “The Deliberate Stranger.”



Other television credits include HBO’s “From Earth to the Moon,” “St. Elsewhere,” “Moonlighting,” and Tennessee Williams’ “Sweet Bird of Youth.”  On the big screen, Harmon’s credits include “Chasing Liberty,” “Freaky Friday,” “Comes a Horseman,” “Wyatt Earp,” “Stealing Home,” “The Presidio,” and “Summer School.” 

Neil Patrick Harris



Neil Patrick Harris’ portrayal of Barney Stinson on CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” has earned him his first Primetime Emmy Nomination this year for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Harris’ television roles include “Doogie Howser, M.D.,” NBC’s “Stark Raving Mad,” CBS’ “Joan of Arc,” and “The Wedding Dress,” Showtime’s “The Man in the Attic” and TNT’s “Cold Sassy Tree.”



Harris has also made guest appearances on “Will and Grace,” “Ed” and “Boomtown.” He’s previously starred in three consecutive Broadway productions that include “Assassins,” “Proof” and “Cabaret.”  Harris’ additional theater credits include the Los Angeles production of “Rent,” “Romeo & Juliet” and “Reprise! Sweeney Todd.”

His feature film work includes “Harold and Kumar Visit White Castle” and has recently completed its sequel. Additionally, he has appeared in “Undercover Brother,” “Starship Troopers,” “The Next Best Thing,” “The Proposition” and “Clara’s Heart,” which garnered him a Golden Globe nomination in 1989.



Ali Larter



Ali Larter stars as Nikki Sanders on NBC’s “Heroes,” which is nominated this year for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. Larter will star opposite Milla Jovovich in “Resident Evil 3: Extinction” as Claire Redfield. She can currently be seen in the indie film “Marigold” and the soon to be released “Crazy.”

Larter’s previous feature roles include her film debut in Paramount Pictures/MTV Films “Varsity Blues,” New Line’s “Final Destination,” MGM’s “Legally Blonde,” Disney’s “A Lot Like Love,” Warner Bros.’ “American Outlaws,” and “The House on Haunted Hill,” Dimension Films’ “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” and Fox’s “Drive Me Crazy.” Off screen, she’s had a run on the New York stage in “The Vagina Monologues.”



Hugh Laurie



Hugh Laurie is nominated this year for his second Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Dr. Gregory House on FOX’s “House,” which is nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. In his role, Laurie has won two Golden Globe Awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.

Laurie previously starred in a number of British television comedy series, including four seasons of "A Bit of Fry and Laurie," which he co-wrote for the BBC with Stephen Fry; three seasons of "Blackadder" and three seasons of "Saturday Live." His film credits include 20th Century Fox’s "Flight of the Phoenix." He will next be seen in David Ayer's 2008 release of "The Night Watchman."



Other film credits include "Peter's Friends," "Sense and Sensibility," "Cousin Bette," "The Man in the Iron Mask," "101 Dalmatians," "Stuart Little" and "Stuart Little 2." On American television, Laurie appeared in "Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows,"  "Tracy Takes On" and "Friends."



Eva Longoria

Golden Globe nominee and ALMA Award-winning Eva Longoria stars as Gabrielle Solis on the ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.”



Longoria starred in Fox/Regency/Further Films’ “The Sentinel,” “Harsh Times” and can soon be heard in the upcoming Lions Gate animated film “Foodfight!”



She stars in Gold Circle Films’ “Over My Dead Body,” to be released in January 2008.

Joe Mantegna



Joe Mantegna currently stars as David Rossi on CBS’ “Criminal Minds” and USA Networks “The Starter Wife,” for which he’s been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie. 



Prior to that, his other roles on CBS included the Emmy-nominated “Joan of Arcadia” and “First Monday.”  He starred in the mini-series “The Last Don,” for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1997 and in the HBO movie “The Rat Pack,” for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1999. 

His feature film credits include “Nine Lives,” “Edmond,” “Elvis and Annabelle,” “House of Games,” “The Godfather III,” “Searching for Bobby Fisher” and “Bugsy,” among many others.



Mary-Louise Parker



Mary-Louise Parker can currently be seen in Season 3 of Showtime's “Weeds,” as Nancy Botwin, which has earned her a Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

She has also received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie for her role as Zenia Arden in “The Robber Bride.” She received an Emmy Award in 2004 for her role in HBO’s “Angels in America,” as well as a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Nomination. She was also an Emmy nominee in 2002 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Amy Gardner on NBC's “The West Wing.” 



Her television credits also include HBO‘s “Sugartime” and Hallmark Hall of Fame telefilms, “A Place for Annie,” “Saint Maybe” and “Cupid and Cate.”

In film, Parker will next be seen in “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Romance and Cigarettes.” Parker received a 2005 Tony Nomination and a 2005 Drama League Performer of the Year Nomination for her role in the Broadway revival of Craig Lucas’ “Reckless.”



William Shatner



William Shatner has received his third Primetime Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Denny Crane on ABC’s “Boston Legal.” His portrayal also garnered him his first Golden Globe Award in January 2005 and an Emmy Award in 2005 for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.  He received his first Emmy win, also for his work as Denny Crane, in 2004 for Outstanding Guest Star in a Drama Series on “The Practice.”

In March 2006, he produced and starred in a TV Land special entitled “William Shatner in Concert,” featuring highlights from concerts that he performed with Ben Folds, Brad Paisley, Joe Jackson and Henry Rollins. Also in March, he produced and starred in another cable special, “How William Shatner Changed the World,” a documentary that aired on the History Channel and is based on his book, “I’m Working on That.” This special received a 2006 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Nonfiction Special. 



“The Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner,” with Shatner as the guest of honor, was also nominated this year for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special.



Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series this year for her role as Wilhelmina Slater in ABC’s, “Ugly Betty,” which is also nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.



Her career has encompassed Broadway, music, videos, television and motion pictures. Williams has played many diverse roles on television, in such productions as “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” “The Boy Who Loved Christmas,” “The Jacksons: An American Dream,” “Bye, Bye Birdie,” “Nothing Lasts Forever,” “The Odyssey,” “Don Quixote,” “The Courage to Love,” and “A Diva’s Christmas Carol.”  

The 59^th Primetime Emmy® Awards is being produced by AEG Ehrlich Ventures LLC and is presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  Ken Ehrlich is the executive producer; Renato Basile and Danette Herman are the producers; Herman also serves as the executive in charge of talent.  Bruce Gowers will direct.

Visit to the 59^th Primetime Emmy Awards area for more awards information.

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About the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences



The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946 just one month after network television was born. It is a non-profit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry. In addition to recognizing outstanding programming through its Emmy® Award, the Television Academy publishes Emmy® Magazine and stages many industry-related programs, services and year-round events for the television community.

For additional press information and resources concerning the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, please direct your inquiries to Robin Mesger of The Lippin Group at (323) 965-1990.

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