Los Angeles, California - A $2 million gift left by actor Milton Stark will support students in the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture and the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. The contribution expands the existing Judith and Milton R. Stark Scholarship, increasing annual distributions up to 10 times the amount it awarded previously.

Stark, who died in 2016, staunchly believed in the power of art to effect change — and in UCLA’s capacity to train emerging artists who could achieve this vision. He and his wife, Judith, who predeceased her husband, established the scholarship in 1986. They continued to add to the fund over the years to support new generations of creative leaders.

“Milton and Judith Stark were visionaries for the arts — as performers, advocates and patrons,” said Linda Schmidt, the couple’s niece and the executor of their estate. “Their passion, to the day Uncle Milt passed away at 103, was to create a way for upcoming artists to receive support as they begin their careers. What an honor for them to have their dream to create a better world through the arts live on through their lasting legacy at UCLA.”

Stark’s generosity to UCLA extends beyond the scholarship. After an entertainment career spanning screen and voice acting, talent recruitment, copywriting for CBS Radio and dialogue coaching, he designated UCLA as the beneficiary for his SAG-AFTRA residuals, among other gifts.

His bequest is part of the $4.2 billion UCLA Centennial Campaign, which is scheduled to conclude in December 2019 during UCLA’s 100th anniversary year.