The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday that Hollywood heavyweight Tom Cruise, actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, country music great Dolly Parton, and production designer Wynn Thomas will receive honorary Oscars at the 2025 Governors Awards on Nov. 16.
“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,” Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement.
Though nominated for four Oscars throughout his career — most recently as a producer for “Top Gun: Maverick” — Cruise has never won any of the awards. “Tom Cruise’s incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all,” Yang said of the “Mission: Impossible” star.
She hailed Allen, a five-time Emmy Award winner whose stage and screen credits include Broadway’s “West Side Story,” TV’s “Fame,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” as a “trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres.”
Of Parton, whose acting credits include “9 to 5,” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and “Steel Magnolias,” Yang said she “exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts.”
The Hersholt Award, named after silent film and radio star 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.”
Parton is known for her work through her Dollywood Foundation, particularly in the area of literacy. Her Imagination Library program has gifted nearly 285 million books to children across the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and the U.K.
Yang said that Thomas, whose decades-long career includes many Spike Lee films, “Hidden Figures” and “King Richard,” has brought “some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft.”
While the Governors Awards are not televised, winners are usually recognized during the official Oscars ceremony. The 98th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, is set for March 16 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
