Gretchen Wyler, Actress and Activist

by Carol Kennedy

"A Genesis Award honors the goodness of the soul," says Gretchen Wyler, founder and president of The Ark Trust, Inc., which presents the annual Genesis Awards, a star-studded gala honoring members of the major news and entertainment media who have helped raise public consciousness about animal issues.

Since 1986, the annual event has become the nation's premier "consciousness-raiser" on animal issues.

The event, which occupies much of Wyler's time, is a natural outgrowth of her enthusiasm for animal rights and gifts as a performer. Her distinguished theatrical career spans 50 years and encompasses Broadway, the London stage, film, nightclubs, the concert stage, and many guest-starring television roles, most recently Friends.

Of equal significance to Wyler's theatrical career are her nearly four decades of devotion to animals.

"It's very difficult in Hollywood as you grow older and particularly for dancers. I've been very fortunate to have two great passions in my life," she says.

Wyler says she can't really remember having many pets as a child. "I was born cross-eyed, and all I could think about when I was young was growing up and becoming a great dancer so people would not see how ugly I was."

In fact, she says she was so focused on studying and becoming a dancer, she would get annoyed when the family dog continuously jumped on her when she was practicing.

Perhaps that dog had a keen sense of what was to be, as Ms. Wyler has become one of the most influential women in the animal protection movement.

"I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma called Bartlesville. The population was about 16,000. The word animal rights wasn't even in anyone's vocabulary at the time," Wyler says.

"A woman came up to me and said, 'Gretchen, you like animals! Have you seen the condition of our local shelter?'"

While visiting the shelter she witnessed the abominable condition the animals were living in and learned that each week a delivery truck was picking the animals up to bring them to laboratories.

"This had a profound effect on me. This was my epiphany," she says.

Ms. Wyler soon became the founder of the local animal shelter in Warwick, NY and managed the shelter for 10 years while also maintaining a busy acting career.

Subsequently, she has served on the Board of 13 animal protection organizations including the Fund for Animals. She was the first woman ever appointed to the Board of the ASPCA.

"I also became the first woman to sue the ASPCA for indifference to animals," she says.

"We had many animal shelters in the area and most of the people who sat on the Board at the time had never even stepped foot into one!"

In 1979, she initiated work on a Resolution of Animal Rights that was authored by State Sen. David Roberti and passed the same year, making California the first state in the nation to adopt such a resolution.

In 1981 she successfully led the fight to repeal "pound seizure" -- the selling of shelter cats and dogs for medical research. Distinguished animal-protection activities and honors soon followed.

While some actors display their Tonys, Emmys and Oscars, Wyler receives greater satisfaction from her Order of Nature (International League for Animal Rights), St. Francis of Assisi (city of Los Angeles), Minnie (Actors and Others for Animals), Golden Paw (Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.), Lifetime Achievement (American Humane Association), James Herriot (The Humane Society of the United States), Paloma (Los Angeles SPCA), Guardian Lifetime Achievement (In Defense of Animals) awards.

The first Genesis Awards was presented in 1986. Prior to 1991, Wyler presented the Genesis Awards under the aegis of The Fund for Animals.

The ceremony is executive produced by Wyler and Robert Halmi Sr., and taped for broadcast as a television special, currently airing on Animal Planet.

In 1991, Wyler decided to devote all of her animal rights energies to The Ark Trust, Inc. (now the HSUS Hollywood Office) after receiving a bequest from the late Dolly Green.

"I realized that it was more important to change attitudes than trying to change laws," Wyler explains. "I wanted to raise public awareness on animal exploitation and abuse and that's why I founded The Ark Trust. And the Genesis Awards. The Genesis Awards is an annual event acknowledging the media's work to expose animal cruelty. The awards started with a room of 140 people and is now a room of 1000."

Animal News Center: Do you think the recent mad cow issue has affected people's attitudes?

Wyler: "No, I think it might encourage some people to become vegetarians, but there are others that say, 'Hey, they've decided to stop using downer cows so it's safe again!' And they go right back to their burgers and chips. I've been a vegetarian since 1968. I see many young kids these days becoming vegetarians and I think it's great, for whatever reasons they might have."

ANC: What pets do you currently have?

Wyler: I have a poodle, Mocha who is deaf and blind. I have four cats, Domino, Bonsai, Blossom and Simba and I have two beautiful horses, Gypsy and Zephyr.

ANC: If someone asked you what would be the one thing they could do right now to help end animal suffering, what would you say?

Wyler: I would tell them to change where they draw their line. If that is in becoming a vegetarian, great. If it's not wearing fur, great! It's very difficult to get people to live a cruelty free life. It's all about education and changing people's attitudes and realizing that we are sharing the planet, not ruling it."

© 2004 Animal News Center, Inc.