Tom Cruise to receive honorary Oscar

Hollywood action legend and producer Tom Cruise is set to be felicitated with an honorary Oscar award, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) said on Tuesday. 

The announcement comes almost a month after the release of his latest film Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, the eighth film in the globe-trotting spy action franchise.

Choreographer and actor Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas will also receive Academy Honorary Awards, also known as the Governors’ Awards.

Music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton will be recognised with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. All four Oscar statuettes will be presented at the 16th annual Governors Awards, set to take place on November 16, 2025.

The ceremony will be held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, according to the official Oscars website.

“This year’s Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact,” Janet Yang, Academy President, said in a statement shared on the website.

Janet Yang said the Academy’s Board of Governors is honoured to recognise these brilliant artists.

“Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres. Tom Cruise’s incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunt community has inspired us all.

“Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts. And production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft,” she added.

Tom Cruise, one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood history, has long been an advocate for theatrical exhibition. Known for performing his own stunts, Cruise has been nominated two times for best actor Oscar for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire.

His credits also include Risky Business, A Few Good Men, Interview With the Vampire, Eyes Wide Shut, Vanilla Sky, and the long-running Mission: Impossible franchise.

As for Debbie Allen, she has choreographed the Academy Awards ceremony seven times, as well as films including Forget Paris, A Jazzman’s Blues and The Six Triple Eight.

Her production credits include Amistad and A Star for Rose. Debbie Allen made her mark as an actor with Fame, Ragtime, and Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling.

Dolly Parton, a globally revered musician and actor, will receive the Jean Hersholt 

Humanitarian Award for her decades of philanthropic work. With over 100 million records sold and 49 studio albums, Dolly Parton has also starred in classics such as Nine to Five and Steel Magnolias.

She is a two-time Oscar nominee for best original song -- for Nine to Five and Travelin’ Thru from Transamerica. With this Governors Award, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, Dolly Parton will be recognised for her decades-long humanitarian efforts.

She has founded various charitable and philanthropic organisations, including the Dollywood Foundation, which was created in 1988 to inspire the children of East Tennessee - her home state - to achieve educational success, as per the Academy Awards.

Additionally, her literacy programme, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, launched in 1995 in honour of her father, has provided children with 285 million books.

As for production designer Wynn Thomas, he began his career working on Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It, which would be the first of several collaborations between the two. They went on to work on Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X and Da 5 Bloods.

Other notable credits from his career include the Best Picture-winning movie A Beautiful Mind, as well as Cinderella Man and Hidden Figures, to name a few.

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honour extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy”.

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an Oscar statuette named after actor and philanthropist Jean Hersholt, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities”.

Source: Asian News International
--Agencies