Robert A. Iger, President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, was honored tonight at UCLA's Millennium Ball 2006, a benefit gala held at the future home of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The event raised nearly $5 million for the new hospital which is slated to open in fall 2007.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa presented the award to Iger, recognizing his career and life accomplishments and his commitment to a new standard of excellence in medical care.

Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures Corporation, and Jim Wiatt, CEO of The William Morris Agency, chaired the event. Capital Campaigns, run by Anne Dunsmore, spearheaded the event's fundraising efforts. Along Came Mary Productions catered and produced the dinner gala and Don Mischer Productions produced the program, which featured ABC's late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel as master of ceremonies and a performance by Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Alicia Keys.

Celebrity attendees included  Ellen Pompeo, star of ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"; and such stars from ABC's "Desperate Housewives" as Nicollette Sheridan, James Denton, Ricardo Antonio Chavira and Brenda Strong. Also attending were Sela Ward; Julie Andrews; Geena Davis; singer Michael Bolton; and Matt Dallas of ABC Family's "Kyle XY."

Other top executives and local luminaries who attended the event were Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton; Eli Broad; Robert Day, TCW Group Chairman; Peter Chernin, News Corp. President and COO; Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation CEO; Ron Meyer, Universal Studios Group President and COO; Jerry Perenchio, owner, Chartwell Partners LLC; Ray Irani, Chairman, President and CEO, Occidental Petroleum Corporation; Stewart Resnick, Chairman, Roll International Corporation; Robert Eckert, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mattel; Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group Chairman and CEO; Steve Tisch, New York Giants Chairman and Executive Vice President; Thomas O. Staggs, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Walt Disney Company; Richard Cook, Chairman, The Walt Disney Studios; Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair Disney Media Networks and President, Disney-ABC Television Group; among many others.

"Continuing UCLA Medical Center's tradition as one of the nation's top-ranked hospitals, the new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center will provide the public with one of the world's finest medical centers," said Dr. Gerald S. Levey, Vice Chancellor of Medical Sciences, and Dean of The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The Millennium Ball enables UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center — its teaching hospital — to maintain excellence in teaching, research and patient care. We truly appreciate the generous support of Bob Iger, Jim Wiatt, Brad Grey and all the other members of the Los Angeles community who have so graciously given of their time, energy and resources to make this event such a stellar success."

When the Northridge earthquake struck in 1994, it damaged the circa-1950 UCLA Medical Center. Due to structural damage and new California hospital seismic safety standards, the federal government allocated millions to help UCLA build a replacement hospital, since named the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. Additional funding has been provided by the State of California and generous donors in Los Angeles and elsewhere. The new facility is scheduled to open in September 2007.

Designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, this architectural jewel will house one of the largest and most technologically advanced medical and trauma centers in the western United States. One of the first structures in the state to meet stringent California earthquake-safety standards, the replacement hospital will be a state-of-the-art facility incorporating the latest technology and design to further enhance patient care, teaching and research leading to medical breakthroughs that benefit society and improve quality of life.

"Our doctors, nurses and staff help the sick, advance medical knowledge and pursue scientific research so that the people of Los Angeles and beyond have access to the highest quality medical care," said Dr. David L. Callender, Associate Vice Chancellor and CEO, UCLA Hospital System. "This event has been a wonderful tribute to our outstanding health care team at UCLA Medical Center — and the future home of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center."

Since opening its doors in 1955, UCLA Medical Center has consistently been a healthcare innovator. Known worldwide for its pioneering technological contributions, including advancements in organ transplantation, cancer diagnosis and treatment, and treatment of stroke and neurological diseases, UCLA Medical Center year after year is ranked number one in the West by U.S. News and World Report's annual survey of "America's Best Hospitals."

More than 300,000 people from Los Angeles, from across the country, and from around the world come to UCLA Medical Center each year to receive care from some of the world's best healthcare providers. More than 120 of our physicians are cited in The Best Doctors in America, which is based on an extensive poll of thousands of medical specialists. For more information on the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, log onto http://www.ucla.edu/healthsci.html.

-UCLA-

RYM437