BEVERLY HILLS -- Producer Brad Grey may not be a household name, but he certainly can draw big stars to an event.

Project A.L.S. honored Grey with the 2003 David Niven Award on Monday at the Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel. Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Muhammad Ali, Mike Myers, Courteney Cox and Brooke Shields were among the stars on hand. The "Friends Finding a Cure" gala raised $ 1.5 million for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"Brad has done so much for this cause and put in so much time and energy," Aniston said.

Last year Aniston, Pitt and Grey formed a film production partnership with Warner Bros. Grey is also Pitt's manager.

Monday, Pitt presented the award to Grey, who in 1983 lost his grandfather, Samuel Levin, to ALS.

"Any way that I can help I want to be there," said Grey, who sits on the Project A.L.S. board. "Tonight we raised a lot of money and I think we're going to do some good. A lot of my friends came out to try to help."

Fifteen of Grey's family members traveled from New York, New Jersey, Florida and North Carolina to attend the event.

Also on hand: Bernie Brillstein, his former business partner, Gary Sinise, Paul Simon, Jon Lovitz, David Spade, Camryn Manheim, CBS chief Les Moonves and Alan Thicke.

"Brad Grey is a hero," said Valerie Estess, whose sister Jenifer suffers from ALS. The Estess sisters founded Project A.L.S. in 1998.