Award-winning author, playwright and actor Eric Bogosian will be honored at the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region’s Annual Gala Banquet on Sunday, October 25 and will be the featured panelist during that weekend’s ANCA Grassroots Conference Film & The Arts panel on Friday, October 23, both at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Bogosian will receive the ANCA-WR Arts & Letters Award, which is presented to individuals who have distinguished themselves by advancing the Armenian Cause through literature and the arts, primarily for having used his celebrity to tell the true story of Soghomon Tehlirian and Operation Nemesis within mainstream literary circles through his new book published by Little, Brown and Company in April 2015. Bogosian also appeared in Atom Egoyan’s film “Ararat.”

Past recipients of the ANCA-WR award have included Academy Award nominee Atom Egoyan, Grammy Award winner Serj Tankian and System of A Down and acclaimed author Chris Bohjalian.

In addition to receiving this award, Bogosian will also appear as lead panelist of the ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference Film & The Arts panel to explore his book “Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide,” where he will describe how he became interested in the subject and how he spent seven years conducting extensive research all over the world to describe the historical background leading up to the Armenian Genocide, the decision by A.R.F. leaders to carry out the death sentences issued by international tribunals against the Ottoman Turkish perpetrators and organizers of the Genocide, and the assassination of Talaat Pasha and ensuing trial and acquittal of Soghomon Tehlirian.

Earlier this year, Bogosian was interviewed about the book by award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian, who will also serve as moderator for the Grassroots panel discussion. The full interview can be found at http://asbarez.com/134447/asbarez-exclusive-eric-bogosian-on-writing-operation-nemesis-and-how-the-project-radicalized-and-changed-him/.

Since that time, Bogosian has appeared at various conferences and seminars in the Armenian community in New York, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and elsewhere to discuss his book within the context of the Armenian Genocide Centennial. Outside the Armenian community, Bogosian has had many appearances at bookstores and other events where he has utilized the opportunity to educate the general public about the fascinating story of Operation Nemesis and the Genocide which led to its planning and execution.

During its previous two iterations, the ANCA Grassroots Film & The Arts panel has served as the marquee kick off to the acclaimed conference, which brings together leaders from the worlds of politics, academia, law, entertainment and communications during a weekend that informs and empowers its participants to become outspoken activists for the Armenian Cause.

Past panelists have included Serj Tankian, actress and artist Arsinee Khanjian, filmmaker Eric Nazarian, documentary filmmakers Carla Garapetian and Bared Maronian, as well as singer songwriter Sebu Simonian.

“We are privileged to have Eric Bogosian not only kick off our very successful Grassroots Conference, but also for also providing us with the opportunity to honor him for his decades of activism through the arts and especially for bringing the important story of Operation Nemesis to the forefront in this year of the Genocide Centennial,” said Chairwoman of the ANCA-WR Board, Nora Hovsepian.

Eric Bogosian’s career accomplishments range from behind the scenes as a playwright and novelist, to acting in front of the camera and live audiences on film, in television, and on the stage. He wrote and starred in the play, “Talk Radio” (NYSF – 1987; on Broadway starring Liev Schreiber- 2007), for which he was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony award. For his film adaptation of the play, Bogosian received the Berlin Film Festival “Silver Bear.” His six solo performances Off-Broadway between 1980 and 2000, (including “Drinking in America”, “Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll” and “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee”) received three Obie awards. In addition to “Talk Radio”, Bogosian has written a number of full-length plays including “subUrbia” (LCT, Second Stage, also adapted to film), “Griller” (Goodman), “Red Angel” (Williamstown Theater Festival), “Humpty Dumpty” (The McCarter), and 1+1 (New York Stage and Film). He is also the author of three novels, “Mall”, “Wasted Beauty” and “Perforated Heart” and a novella, “Notes from Underground,” in addition to “Operation Nemesis.” He is a Guggenheim fellow.

As an actor, Bogosian has appeared in numerous films and television programs, starring in Robert Altman’s “The Caine Mutiny Court Martial”, Oliver Stone’s “Talk Radio”, as Travis Dane in “Under Siege II”, as Eddie Nash in “Wonderland” and as Captain Danny Ross in sixty episodes of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” In 2010, he starred on Broadway in “Time Stands Still” with Laura Linney, Brian Darcy James, Alicia Silverstone and Christina Ricci.

In April 2014, Theater Communications Group published the full collection of Bogosian’s monologues, titled “100 (monologues).” A website dedicated to actors performing the monologues can be found at 100monologues.com

Bogosian lives in New York with his wife, director Jo Bonney.

The ANCA-WR Grassroots conference will take place on October 23 and 24 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. Admission to the conference is $85 and $50 for students. However, the committee is offering early registration incentives of $55 and FREE admission for students if registration is completed by October 1. Visit http://ancawrold.wpengine.com/grassroots/register/

This year’s ANCA-WR Gala Banquet will be one of the largest the organization has hosted. The event, which has become one of the most anticipated events of the calendar year, will be held on Sunday, October 25 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. For information and to reserve a table please visit http://ancawrold.wpengine.com/gala/.