Acclaimed Actors Create Scholarship

Actors Bill Pullman ’80 and his wife, Tamara Pullman ‘81, Rob Corddry '93, and Jeffrey Donovan '91 have created a permanent scholarship in honor of their mentor, Professor Emeritus Ed Golden. This fund will honor the exemplary teaching career of Ed Golden by recognizing and fostering students with exceptional acting talent through scholarships.

The first such award at UMass Amherst specifically created to support careers in acting, the Ed Golden Acting Scholarship will be awarded to sophomores and juniors who demonstrate outstanding promise and commitment to the performing arts. Students Jordan Reed '17 and Lily Filippatos '17 were nominated by faculty, and learned they received the scholarship at a ceremony held Friday, October 21, 2016. Tamara Pullman, Donovan, and Corddry were in attendance to personally congratulate the first recipients of the scholarship and talk at a pre-show event, which was open to anyone in the community who had purchased a ticket to that evening's The Misanthrope performance (pictured above).

The actors spoke about their careers and how their work in student shows such as The Misanthrope prepared them to take the next steps to success in theater, film, and TV. The gratitude and hard work of these alumni are an inspiration to all UMass students who are ready to make their mark on the theater business.

Pullman, Donovan, and Corddry all fondly remember Professor Ed Golden as critically important to their development as actors. 

Golden, who retired in spring of 2003, was a beloved colleague, friend, and mentor to many. His mentees gave rave reviews, as reflected by the competition among students to take one of his coveted acting classes. Golden started teaching at UMass Amherst in 1978 and worked patiently and brilliantly with students for 25 years. A few of his students, including Rob Corddry, Jeffrey Donovan, and Bill Pullman, would go on to become well-known TV and film actors.

Pullman, who is most well known for his roles in films such as Independence Day, Sleepless in Seattle, and Spaceballs, graduated from UMass Amherst in 1980 with a Master of Fine Arts and major in directing, and an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts in 2008. While at the university, he met his wife, Tamara Hurwitz, when they were cast as husband and wife in Molière’s The Impromptu at Versailles. Donovan is most well known for his roles in Burn Notice, Fargo, and Sicario, and Corddry, for his roles on The Daily Show, Children's Hospital, and Ballers.