Oprah Winfrey, James Earl Jones to Get Honorary Oscars
James Earl Jones, Oprah Winfrey and Dick Smith will all receive honorary Oscars, the Academy's Board of Governors announced Tuesday.
Jones was selected to receive an honorary Academy Award for recognition of his long and notable career at the third Annual Governors Awards dinner in November.
Jones’s career extends from the 1964 Classic “Dr. Strangelove” to a more recent fan favorite as the voice of Darth Vader in “Star Wars.”
James Earl Jones was last nominated for an Academy Award in 1971 for his role in “The Great White Hope.” He has been featured in over 50 motion pictures and has voiced some of the most iconic movie characters, including Mustafa in “The Lion King.”
Oprah Winfrey is also being honored and will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian award. This award is given to those “"whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry," the Academy said.
Makeup artist Dick Smith, winner of a 1984 Oscar for his role in “Amadeus,” will also receive an honorary Academy Award.
The Academy’s Board of Governors named their selections on Tuesday night. This is the first year that three Governors Awards recipients have been selected since 2009.
The awards dinner and ceremony will take place on November 12, 2011 in Hollywood.