Bob Odenkirk.

Photo by Sharon Alagna

Campus & Community

Bob Odenkirk named Hasty’s Man of the Year

2 min read

The actor, comedian, filmmaker will receive his Pudding Pot at a Feb. 2 celebratory roast

Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the U.S., has named actor, comedian, filmmaker, and author Bob Odenkirk its Man of the Year.

Odenkirk has won numerous awards for the character he originated in the television drama “Breaking Bad” and reprised in “Better Call Saul.” Recently he produced and starred in the action thriller “Nobody” and released a memoir that made The New York Times best-seller list.

“When choosing our 2023 Man of the Year, I immediately knew we better call Bob Odenkirk,” said producer Aidan Golub. “We’re cooking up a lot of surprises to celebrate Mr. Odenkirk’s contributions to the world of comedy both in front of and behind the camera.”

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ Man and Woman of the Year Awards are presented annually to performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment.

This year’s festivities will take place at 6 p.m. on Feb. 2 at Farkas Hall, the Pudding’s historic home in Harvard Square. After a celebratory roast, Odenkirk will receive his Pudding Pot. A press conference will follow the roast, and Odenkirk will attend a preview of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals’ 174th production, “Cosmic Relief.”

The Man of the Year award was established in 1967, with past recipients including Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, and last year’s recipient, Jason Bateman, the 55th Man of the Year.

Odenkirk’s work on “Better Call Saul” (2015-2022) earned him three Critics Choice TV Awards and Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominations. For his work on “Saturday Night Live,” he garnered an Emmy award for “Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program” in 1989. He co-created and starred in “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” which ran on HBO for four years (1995-1998) and has been called “the American Monty Python.” Next he stars and executive produces the mid-life crisis tale “Lucky Hank,” headed for television in March.

“When I heard that Bob Odenkirk would be Man of the Year, I thought, ‘“Lucky Hank?” More like lucky us!’ It’s funny, get it? Because Bob Odenkirk will be our Man of the Year. Wait, this isn’t actually going in the press release, right?” said Hasty Pudding President Lyndsey Mugford.