Our Story
The Golden Globe Foundation was formed in 2023.
The Foundation’s predecessor, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has roots dating back to the 1940’s.
History of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Photo Caption: At the 1946 ceremony. Billy Wilder receives his Golden Globe for Best Director for The Lost Weekend.
Photo Credit: HFPA ARCHIVES
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual Golden Globe Awards enabled the non-profit organization to donate millions of dollars over more than 30 years to entertainment-related charities, as well as funding scholarships and other programs for future film and television professionals.
Known worldwide for its glittering Golden Globe Awards ceremony held every January and its multi-million dollar donations to charity, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had humble origins that stemmed solely from a group of journalists’ desire to cover the world of entertainment.
The HFPA had its roots in the early 1940s during World War II. Audiences, hungry for diversion, were seeking films offering escape, inspiration, and entertainment; and filmmakers such as Orson Welles, Preston Sturges, Darryl Zanuck and Michael Curtiz were working hard to fulfill the need. Amid the turmoil of war and the difficulties with communications, a handful of Los Angeles-based international journalists banded together to share contacts, information, and material.
The idea was not a new one: previously, in 1928 the Hollywood Association of Foreign Correspondents (HAFCO) had been formed and, in 1935, the Foreign Press Society appeared. Both were short-lived, although the HAFCO had a brief moment in the spotlight when Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and other celebrities showed up at an International Ball the group organized at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
In 1943, journalists led by the correspondent for Britain’s Daily Mail, formed the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association under the motto “Unity Without Discrimination of Religion or Race.” At first, the members held informal gatherings in private homes. As the membership grew, meetings were held in larger quarters, with the association selecting the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel as the location for group functions.
Photo Caption: Doris Day with Jack Lemmon at the 1958 Golden Globe Awards
Photo Credit: HFPA Archives
In 1950 differing philosophies among members created a schism within the organization, resulting in a split into two separate groups — The Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association and the Foreign Press Association of Hollywood. For a time, the two organizations existed side by side, with one group handing out Golden Globes while the other group awarded Henriettas, named for their president, Henry Gris. The separation ended in 1955 when the journalists reunited under the collective title “Hollywood Foreign Press Association.”
During its early years, the HFPA established itself with the studios by innovations such as its World Favorites awards, awarded based on polling more than 900 newspapers, magazines and radio stations around the world. Among those honored were Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day and Leslie Caron. The group also came up with the idea of “bon voyage” interview lunches with actors and actresses who were leaving to make films in countries represented by the members.
For many years, the HFPA also selected a Miss and/or Mr. Golden Globe (later known as Golden Globe Ambassadors), the daughters and/or sons of well-known performers, who assisted in the Golden Globe ceremony. Honorees included Laura Dern (daughter of Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern), Joely Fisher (daughter of Connie Stevens and Eddie Fisher), Melanie Griffith (daughter of Tippi Hedren), Griffith’s daughter Dakota Johnson, Lorraine Nicholson (daughter of Jack Nicholson), Corinne Foxx, daughter of Jamie Foxx, Sistine, Sophia and Scarlet Stallone, daughters of Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin, John Clark Gable, Freddie Prinze, Jr., and Simone Garcia Johnson, daughter of Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia.
Photo Caption: Elizabeth Taylor Receives the Cecil B deMille Award 1985
Photo Credit: HFPA Archives
In 1952 a new award was added to the Golden Globes: the prestigious Cecil B. deMille Award, honoring the body of work of a distinguished entertainment professional. Hollywood icon Cecil B. deMille himself was the first recipient, with Walt Disney following suit in 1953. The 2017 Cecil B. deMille recipient was Meryl Streep, who accepted the honor with a passionate and galvanizing speech. In 2018, multi-hyphenate Oprah Winfrey was the recipient of the Cecil B. deMille Award and, just like her predecessor, brought the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton to their feet, with a brilliant speech about inclusion, strength and creating a better future.
In 2018, the HFPA celebrated its 75th anniversary in Hollywood. Its members represented some 55 countries with a combined readership of more than 250 million. Their publications included leading newspapers and magazines in Europe, Asia, Australia/New Zealand and Latin America, ranging from the Daily Telegraph in England to Le Figaro in France, L’Espresso in Italy and Vogue in Germany as well as the China Times, Exame magazine in Brazil and the pan-Arabic magazine Kul Al Osra.
HFPA members interviewed more than 400 actors, directors, writers, and producers each year, as well as reporting from film sets and seeing more than 300 films. Members also attended film festivals in other countries in order to seek out interesting and innovative films and to establish cultural bonds with directors, actors, jurors and fellow journalists around the world.