2024 Governors Awards

[Reza]

A look-back at who won at the Governors Awards.

1st Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, and Gordon Willis
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: John Calley

2nd Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Kevin Brownlow, Jean-Luc Godard, and Eli Wallach
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Francis Ford Coppola

3rd Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: James Earl Jones and Dick Smith
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Oprah Winfrey

4th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: D. A. Pennebaker, Hal Needham and George Stevens Jr.
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jeffrey Katzenberg

5th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and Piero Tosi
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Angelina Jolie

6th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Jean-Claude Carrière, Hayao Miyazaki, and Maureen O'Hara
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Harry Belafonte

7th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Debbie Reynolds (who was not able to attend; her granddaughter Billie Lourd accepted on her behalf)

8th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Jackie Chan, Anne V. Coates, Lynn Stalmaster and Frederick Wiseman

9th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Agnès Varda, Charles Burnett, Donald Sutherland and Owen Roizman

10th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Cicely Tyson, Lalo Schifrin and Marvin Levy
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall

11th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: David Lynch, Wes Studi, and Lina Wertmüller
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Geena Davis

12th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Danny Glover

13th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Peter Weir, Diane Warren and Euzhan Palcy
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Michael J. Fox

14th Annual Governors Awards
Academy Honorary Award: Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks and Carol Littleton
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Michelle Satter

[Mister Tee]

I’m not keen on honoring either Ford or Cruise. They’re both been enormously successful (which is perhaps reward enough), but they’re both fairly limited as actors. Ford is good at playing grumpy and Cruise is sometimes good at playing earnest, when he’s not overdoing it pouring on the smiley charm.

I would reserve these awards for truly outstanding actors who never captured the competitive Oscar, e.g., people like Peter O’Toole. Of still-living, older actors I would prefer Samuel L. Jackson or Glenn Close.

Samuel L. Jackson was honored in 2022

Ah, yes. Now that they honor everyone on a separate show I can hardly remember who the honorees are.

I had the same thought when I read this exchange. I used to mostly recall the people who received honoraries, because they provided big moments in the show -- way back, it was Cary Grant, Groucho, Myrna Loy; even in later years, Deborah Kerr, Robert Altman. It was a true career salute.

Now, they get (if they choose to take up the offer) 5 seconds attention in a luxury box. It's very easy to lose track of the many many people receiving them every year. They've stripped away the meaning of them.

[danfrank]

I’m not keen on honoring either Ford or Cruise. They’re both been enormously successful (which is perhaps reward enough), but they’re both fairly limited as actors. Ford is good at playing grumpy and Cruise is sometimes good at playing earnest, when he’s not overdoing it pouring on the smiley charm.

I would reserve these awards for truly outstanding actors who never captured the competitive Oscar, e.g., people like Peter O’Toole. Of still-living, older actors I would prefer Samuel L. Jackson or Glenn Close.

Samuel L. Jackson was honored in 2022

Ah, yes. Now that they honor everyone on a separate show I can hardly remember who the honorees are.

How about Willem Dafoe? I know he’s very active and could get nominated again, but if it’s limited to retired actors it really limits the pool.

[mlrg]

I’m not keen on honoring either Ford or Cruise. They’re both been enormously successful (which is perhaps reward enough), but they’re both fairly limited as actors. Ford is good at playing grumpy and Cruise is sometimes good at playing earnest, when he’s not overdoing it pouring on the smiley charm.

I would reserve these awards for truly outstanding actors who never captured the competitive Oscar, e.g., people like Peter O’Toole. Of still-living, older actors I would prefer Samuel L. Jackson or Glenn Close.

Samuel L. Jackson was honored in 2022

[danfrank]

I’m not keen on honoring either Ford or Cruise. They’re both been enormously successful (which is perhaps reward enough), but they’re both fairly limited as actors. Ford is good at playing grumpy and Cruise is sometimes good at playing earnest, when he’s not overdoing it pouring on the smiley charm.

I would reserve these awards for truly outstanding actors who never captured the competitive Oscar, e.g., people like Peter O’Toole. Of still-living, older actors I would prefer Samuel L. Jackson or Glenn Close.

[Reza]

What about Tom Cruise?

He does not fit the Academy's usual choice of honoring doddery old actors.

Yes, they gave one to Angela Bassett but then we all know the reason behind that absurd choice.

[Reza]

While Harrison Ford's place in film history is unquestionable, I'm not sure he is as popular with the Academy's board of governors as he is with the general public.

Why is he unpopular with the Academy's board of governors?

[CalWilliam]

What about Tom Cruise? I’m startled that he’s not in the conversation every year. Every bit as deserving as Harrison Ford for an honorary. Neither one is winning a competitive Oscar. I’d also add Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Pfeiffer at this point.

[Big Magilla]

While Harrison Ford's place in film history is unquestionable, I'm not sure he is as popular with the Academy's board of governors as he is with the general public.

At the risk of sounding like Patrick's fiancé Gloria recalling an amusing event involving a friend to the delight of no one in Auntie Mame, I have a recent one of my own in reference to one of Ford's films.

As you may or may not know, I am, among other things, the editor of my 55-plus community's newsletter and administrator of its HOA website where one of my jobs is to keep residents informed of upcoming events.

One of the things the Fun and Games committee does is show movies in the clubhouse. These once or twice per month showings are popular with the older women. The March offering was the 1995 remake of Sabrina starring Harrison Ford in the Humphrey Bogart role from the 1954 version best remembered for Audrey Hepburn's glowing performance. I told one of the women who makes the selections that the residents might come out for the Audrey Hepburn version but not the remake. The response was that "we like Harrison Ford, not Audrey Hepburn". The result was that for the first time ever the event had to be cancelled because no one signed up for it. The next scheduled film is Sister Act which should be a bigger hit with the old ladies.

[Greg]

Speaking of Dolly Parton, does anyone agree with me that she can be quite funny and it is too bad that she hasn't done more comedy?

[dws1982]

I've said before that I think Harrison Ford would be a no-brainer for an honorary. Multiple franchises covering several decades, multiple non-franchise hits over several decades, in the public consciousness for about fifty years now, has been in eight Best Picture nominees but never had the personal recognition. Glenn Close would be a good choice as well, although I know there is hope that she would get that winning role eventually. But I don't think her winning competitively would be the way to bet.

For cinematographers, I like the idea of Taj Fujimoto, who worked for decades in lots of major films with very little recognition for himself. And for directors, I would like to see Terrence Malick recognized, because he may not complete another film after the one he's working on, and he'll never win in competition. Although they may be reluctant to give the honorary to someone who would almost definitely not show for the ceremony. Would also be nice to see Jan Troell get recognized while he's still alive, but that's deeply unlikely.

Could definitely see Kevin Feige getting the Thalberg eventually. Not right now, because we as a culture are not in Marvel-positive place, but eventually. And Dolly Parton wold be a great choice for the Hersholt.

[Big Magilla]

I like the idea of posthumous awards, but I don't see them doing that ever.

They do seem, however, to like to have at least one marquee name to give their awards to every year so I would say in that regard that Glenn Close and Harrison Ford have to lead the conversation again this year.

In addition to the marquee name, there will be at least one out of the blue that no one would have predicted. How about Ed Lachman or Rodrigo Prieto for that one?

[Reza]

Leslie Caron & Isabelle Adjani would be good choices too.

They should give one posthumous Honorary award each year to deserving actors or technicians who were never rewarded - Swanson, Burton, Irene Dunne....

[Reza]

Depardieu with all the rape charges hanging over him will never get to the podium at the Academy.

[anonymous1980]

It may be a bit too early for proper Oscar predictions but since they announce this around June/July, it isn't too early to speculate who will be this year's honorary awards recipients. In recent years, it seems they're no longer averse to giving the honorary awards to people who are young-ish and/or still active. Here are some ideas:

ACTORS
Annette Bening
Beau Bridges
Albert Brooks
Claudia Cardinale
Maggie Cheung
Glenn Close
Alain Delon
Bruce Dern
Catherine Deneuve
Gerard Depardieu
Harrison Ford
Rosemary Harris
James Hong
Isabelle Huppert
Diane Ladd
Ian McKellen
Tatsuya Nakadai
Kim Novak
Dick Van Dyke
Chow Yun Fat

DIRECTORS
Don Bluth
Albert Brooks
Ken Burns
Mabel Cheung
David Cronenberg
Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne
Brian De Palma
Werner Herzog
Hou Hsiao-Hsien
Ann Hui
Ken Loach
Mira Nair
Rob Reiner
Bela Tarr
Gus Van Sant
John Waters
Wim Wenders
Wong Kar-Wai
John Woo
Zhang Yimou

ARTISANS
Vic Armstrong (stunts)
Caleb Deschanel (cinematography)
Christopher Doyle (cinematography)
Danny Elfman (music)
Tak Fujimoto (cinematography)
Thomas Newman (music)
Greg P. Russell (sound)
Wynn Thomas (production design)
Phil Tippett (visual effects)
Bo Welch (production design)

IRVING G. THALBERG MEMORIAL AWARD
Kevin Feige
Christine Vachon

JEAN HERSHOLT HUMANITARIAN AWARD
Jane Fonda
Elton John
Dolly Parton

Any other ideas?