Meet the New Honorary Oscar Winners!
Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 9:15PM 
On Saturday, November 28th, at this year's Governors Awards, we'll finally see the amazing Angela Bassett with an Oscar statuette befitting her talents and incredible career. After she lost the Best Supporting Actress trophy at the 95th Academy Awards, netizens everywhere decried another injustice committed against one of the most important African-American thespians working today, mourning an Oscar-less status many think should have been rectified way back in 1993. Hopefully, they feel vindicated now. Indeed, if nothing else, this proves how much the industry is behind Bassett, making one wonder how close the vote was between her and Jamie Lee Curtis...
While Angela Bassett's statuette is honorary, it still counts as a victory. Maybe even more so since, ideally, you only need to deliver one outstanding feat to win a competitive prize. For these honorary titles, however, a lifetime's worth of work is considered. Hers isn't the only such legacy to be thus honored this year.
Should artists who already won competitive Oscars be eligible for honorary trophies? I would say yes, underlining these awards' conceptualization as a career celebration rather than a dreaded make-up prize. So, though one might grumble that AMPAS should have picked someone other than EGOT-winner Mel Brooks to receive one of these Academy Awards, the selection is amply justifiable. After all, few filmmakers have so thoroughly redefined big-screen comedy as The Producers' auteur. Moreover, after that 1968 hit and its Best Original Screenplay win, Brooks struggled to be on the Academy's radar. One wirting nod for Young Frankenstein and a Song nomination for Blazing Saddles aren't enough.
The next trailblazer to win an Honorary Oscar is film editor Carol Littleton, who's only been nominated once for Hollywood's most coveted golden idol. That was in 1982 when the cineaste was recognized for cutting Spielberg's E.T., perfecting its sense of wondrous adventure, sci-fi action culminating in a tear-jerker farewell. It's puzzling she was never again in the running for Oscar when one looks at Littleton's filmography. She's been responsible for assembling many an awards magnet, including The Big Chill, Places in the Heart, and The Accidental Tourist.
In the 90s, she was a maverick of the erotic thriller, taking cues from classic noir when editing titles like White Palace and the Paul Newman-led Twilight. Furthermore, from blockbuster westerns to Noah Baumbach indies, passing through Demme's ambitious Beloved, Littleton's filmography is a treasure trove full of variety. Beyond her work on film, the editor should also be recognized for her efforts as vice president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, her tenure on the Board of Directors of American Cinema Editors, and her service in the Academy's own Board of Governors, representing the editors branch.
Finally, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award goes to Michelle Satter, best known for her work within the Sundance Film Festival and as founding senior director of the Institute's Artist Programs. Her efforts to support independent voices span over four decades and five continents, much of her legacy focused on the extension of the Sundance programs beyond the borders of American cinema. In recent years, she's been focusing on the Sundance Collab, a virtual platform that hopes to be a learning resource for the storytelling community all around the world. It's impossible to overstate Satter's impact, having played a vital role in many major filmmakers' careers.
For perspective, this year's honorees join a prestigious group that includes such names as Peter Weir, Liv Ullmann, Elaine May, Samuel L. Jackson, Lina Wertmüller, David Lynch, Cicely Tyson, Agnès Varda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Burnett, Frederick Wiseman, Gena Rowlands, Maureen O'Hara, Steve Martin, Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones, Jean-Luc Godard and many, many more. One might even say it's a more illustrious selection than those who've won competitive Academy Awards.
Are you satisfied with the Academy's choices? What other names should AMPAS consider for honorary honors in the future?
Reader Comments (28)
Oh, please. Enough with Bassett. She lost twice and deserved to lose twice. She didn't deserve either nomination in the first place. Her getting an honorary Oscar over SO many people that actually deserve it is hilarious. And why? Because she was a sore loser? Because she's a black actress that lost to a white "nepo baby"? Give me a break. Give it to someone that actually deserves one like Pam Grier.
James Hong was right there! Come on Academy!
That being said, I can't really complain about who was chosen. All are worthy and honestly probably are not going to win a competitive award. The only problem is there are so many people who are worthy of this award.
Next year can we get James Hong, Geraldine Chaplin, and Leslie Caron?
How to rectify 1993 if she was a solid 3rd option, after Holly and Emma? To rectify Angela’s oscar-less status the industry should offered her better characters in better movies between her first and last nominations, because her best career achievement remains American Horror Story: Coven.
Yes, she is a great actress and I’m beyond happy with this Honorary Oscar. But every time I read this silly imbroglio about 93 or Jamie Lee Curtis I feel dead inside, losing my faith, my love and my actressexuality.
How embarrassing it must be to be in Bassett's shoes. Glenn Close had 5 acting nominations before Bassett even got one for lip-synching.
I'm pleased for her though I think it's bit premature and probably to do with her loss to Jamie Lee and upset reaction.
I just hope this doesn't mean interesting and varied roles are not forthcoming.
I'm here for all of this. Love me some Angela Bassett. I re-watched Passion Fish recently, and the kitchen scene between her and Alfre Woodard ... so good. Soooooo many people are deserving of an Oscar. They should give out MORE Honorary Oscars. Can I pick like 15 more winners?
I second TomG’s suggestion of James Hong for an Honorary Oscar and was also hoping that the success of EEAAO might have propelled him to the forefront of people in consideration for one this year, but oh well.
I’d also suggest that at some point they’re gonna have to give one of these to Danny Elfman. It’s kind of mad that he only has four nominations and has never won considering the career he’s had. And even then, the four movies he was nominated for (Good Will Hunting, Men in Black, Big Fish, Milk) are probably not the four anyone would guess he’s been nominated for. Weird that he’s been nominated more times for his work with Gus Van Sant than he has for collaborating with Tim Burton — and speaking of which, I know his legacy has been tainted somewhat by a lot of his more recent work, but Burton probably deserves one of these at some point too.
Retconning Holly Hunter as an undeserving Best Actress winner is obscene—OBSCENE. It’s so ridiculous and offensive you can’t even take it seriously.
For the record, I'm not retconning Holly Hunter as an undeserving Best Actress champion. Indeed, she still gets my vote from that lineup, with Bassett as a close runner-up, followed by Channing. Sorry to Emma Thompson, who should have been nominated for MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING instead. Still, my overall winner from that year is Juliette Binoche for THREE COLORS: BLUE.
However, I thought it worth mentioning that many people think Bassett deserved it in '93. Both online and offline, I've encountered that opinion. It's especially prevalent recently, perhaps because of a recharged focus on the actress and Tina Turner's death, making people revisit WLGTDWI.
Sad Man -- I'm really curious to know what your Best Actress 1993 lineup looks like. Also, agree that Pam Grier deserves an Honorary Oscar.
TomG -- All great suggestions. Honestly, I was really hoping they would select James Hong after all the attention he received last season.
TOM -- Lip-syncing doesn't invalidate a performance's quality, but also, that performance is so much more than just the musical moments.
Mr Ripley79 -- It does feel a bit premature, I agree.
Charlie G -- The sequence with the visiting actresses is such a delight, and Bassett's interactions with Woodard are a fascinating detail in that actressexual treat of a film.
Edwin -- There are a lot of composers who deserve Honorary Oscars, and Elfman is one of them. I'm also starting to think that's the only way Thomas Newman wins one. Recently, I've also been thinking of all the electronic music pioneers that helped change the sound of movies in the 70s and 80s. Give Wendy Carlos a statuette, Tangerine Dream, Giorgio Moroder, etc. Please, while they're still alive.
@Cláudio: My 93 lineup is...
Juliette Binoche, Blue
Stockard Channing, Six Degrees of Separation
Holly Hunter, The Piano
Tilda Swinton, Orlando
Emma Thompson, The Remains of the Day
I can honestly make a case for all of them as winner, except maybe Channing but I just love her in that movie.
"One writing nod for Young Frankenstein and a Song nomination for Blazing Saddles aren't enough."
I gotta say, Mel Brooks is the rare performer with the exact right number of nominations and wins, in the right categories for the right movies.
It also seems to undermine Jamie Lee Curtis’ Oscar win that the AMPAS is “correcting” it with an Honorary Oscar for Bassett right away. It would've felt cheap to do this to Olivia Colman in 2018. The nature of the Oscars is that you don't get to have it both ways in a single year!
Honestly, give Jamie Lee Curtis a full year to enjoy her Oscar without playing into the narrative that it was wrongly decided.
Well, on the one hand Brooks hasn't won in the last 50 years so maybe that's a little bit different than the norm, but generally I don't like giving these to people who already have Oscars. So I'm not thrilled with that pick, and while Littleton is solid she's mostly worked on Kasdan and Demme films, and she's done some good work, no question, but not much that I think says "she MUST have an Oscar!" On the other hand I'm 100% on board with the Bassett award.
One of the best things about these posts is seeing who people would like to see presented with one of these prizes and yes, please, give one to Giorgio Moroder right now! I also love the Geraldine Chaplin idea.
This is nauseating. Memo to unsuccessful Oscar nominees (especially 2nd rate actors): While you've got the camera on you for the whole world to see - Throw a hissy fit, have a very public temper tantrum. stomp your feet hold your breath until you turn blue, and be an all-around bad sport. Voila! You'll soon be awarded with your special Oscar - and find plenty of commiserating enablers on the internet.
Antonio, you summed up the 1993 situation perfectly with "silly imbroglio"...still giggling about that awesomely-dead-on phrase. It's absurd that anyone would undermine Holly Hunter's win...one of Oscar's all-time very smartest decisions. While Bassett is much better in WLGTDW than Rami Malek is in Bohemian Rhapsody, I'd claim the enthusiasm comes from similar bases (peoples' love for Tina Turner and Queen's music). Yes, Bassett is a livewire in that movie, but her work can't touch the heights of what Hunter did in The Piano, a performance that evokes silent movie acting while being shockingly modern and existing on a plane all its own.
It does seem odd that the actor they picked was Bassett and not the most obvious choice, Glenn Close, since Close is 76 and Bassett 64. I'm not even a huge fan of Close, but she has undeniably had a much, much more impressive career, and has given more great performances than Bassett. It's a bit of a mystery, at least in terms of timing.
EricB, I'd guess that some in the Academy believe Close still has a chance to win a competitive Oscar. She's been nominated 3 times in the last 10-12 years, including just a couple of years ago. As far as an obvious septuagenarian goes, I'd think that's Sigourney Weaver since she hasn't even been nominated since the 1980s, so it seems extremely unlikely she'd win one in the near future.
I love Bassett, but man this seems SO knee-jerky and optically doesn't do ANYONE any favors? Not the Academy, not Bassett. Obviously it's still well-deserved, but couldn't they wait a couple years or so? I feel like there should be some sort of rule that no honorary Oscars can go to someone JUST nominated for a competitive one, let alone the SAME YEAR (unless they're like 80 years old or older).
Congrats on those who are about to receive Honorary Academy Awards and that reminds me when will the website be having their 96th Academy Award nominations predications up on the site?
Unlike regular Oscar wins, I suspect these are highly coordinated affairs. I wouldn't even be surprised if this is the 2nd or 3rd time that Bassett was asked. She's well liked in the industry, has given great performances across mediums, but hasn't been given the opportunities that other actresses of her caliber have (largely due to what it meant to be a Black actress trying to work in film in the 90s).
There's a lot of talk about age and comparing her to Glenn, but we really don't know if Glenn has been asked about this honor. I suspect she's turned it down, and wouldn't be surprised if she's turned it down a few times because she wants to win won first. Peter O'Toole, at first turned down the honor, so I wouldn't be shocked if they've streamlined things a bit. Some folks continue to get nominations and wins after getting the honorary (Paul Newman, Dianne Warren, Spike Lee, Henry Fonda), but it's fairly rare.
Age-wise, most wins go to folks over 60. Angela''s older than Newman when he won and probably as old as Jackie Chan. She seems to be the right age for the award, and I'm happy for her.
At the same time, I do think this is a nice PR pull for her. If there's any ill-will from her reaction, I suspect getting this honor is a bit of a make-up with the academy, and should help her if and when she has a role with some buzz again.
I love Mel Brooks, and I hope he's there to give a speech or sends one in. He's such a legend. Very happy for Carol Littleton too, whose The Big Chill and Margot at the Wedding are some of my favorite films.
I’m glad Angela is being recognized, but I still hope to her get more roles that allow her to be considered for a competitive Oscar (they are not the same to me). Such ugliness in the comments, but if I call it what it is the whiners will just whine some more.
As the Academy is trying to amend 2023 injustices, let's give Cate Blanchett an honorary Oscar, for Tár specifically, and honorable mentions to Banshees and The Fabelmans for losing to *that* film twitter sensation.
I agree that the honorary Oscar is a little suspect. Thankfully, Curtis is back with an Emmy-worthy guest performance in Season 2 of "The Bear" as the mother from hell.
As for who deserves it sometime in the future, Weaver, Close and La Pfeiffer of course. On the male side, Tom Cruise for his contributions to the cinematic landscape.
Here we go again...
Bassett is an interesting actress, very talented. She gave some great performances. But, an Honorary Oscar? Really? Please c'mon! It's premature, undeserved and sounds very bad after that bitch face after Jamie's victory.
Doris Day lived 96 years and NOTHING!... The same for Olivia de Havilland, Irene Dunne...
What about Great Glenn Close? Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman, Marsha Mason, Debra Winger?
Hello gorgeous, Barbra Streisand!!! (just two for the greatest show woman of last century??? This is not enough!!!)
Recently among winners were Ullmann, Weir, Rowlands... Now Brooks and... and... Bassett?
Frankly... No comments!
Actually, my first thought was whether JLC would have been given an honorary Oscar if she had lost to Bassett. The closest comparison to me is right when the Governors Awards became its own thing and Lauren Bacall received her award, but that was 13 years after her "near miss" in the supporting category. With Laura Dern's influence as a governor arguably getting David Lynch an honorary Oscar, I am surprised that she couldn't get either of her parents (whose careers are each well-deserving of one) such a prize before she rotated off last year, but I would think that they, as well as many other 70s talents (like new governor Marlee Matlin's former costar Piper Laurie, for example) would have been in the mix before Bassett, although I'm glad she's being honored regardless.
Another wasted year.
Fabio Dantas Flappers -- Doris Day was approached by the Academy to give her an Honorary Oscar, but she refused to either appear in person at the ceremony or record an acceptance clip. The Academy withdrew the offer.
Marcos -- i honestly dont know that i believe that story (which is oft-repeated) since they had no trouble giving an honorary to Jean-Luc Godard who would obviously never have shown up.
Nathaniel B -- i think that would be viewed as to impure, no matter how deserving Dern and Ladd are! But now that you mention it both would be great Honorary winners..
Everyone -- honestly every year i dont really understand what they're doing here. They either honror people too early (when they're still working a lot) or too late (when they are on their last legs and might not be enjoying all the fuss! The sweet spot is when people are in their 70s and early 80s but it seems like they're leaning 60s or 90s now.
Mike -- i've often wondered about Cruise but his place in the Hollywood firmament is so strange. Like would they want to honor him even though he's such a part of 'the movies'?
Scott -- i agree with you on the reasoning for Glenn Close but at the same time that's why she's never won... everyone thinks she'll have another shot. I think this is also why it took so long for Streep to win her third (which they waited too long for since she was more deserving many other times before that).
Close, Weaver, Ford, Pfeiffer, Cruise, Rampling, Deneuve, Woodard, Mason, Laurie, Fiennes, Farrow, Huppert, Adjani, Gere, Garr, Nolte, Bening, Beatty, Sheen, Keitel, Ladd, Dern, Perez, Lithgow…and those are just a handful of arguably, more “overdue” actor candidates than the actress chosen to receive one this year for dubious reasons at best. Her behavior and lack of humility were and remain astonishing.