HOLLYWOOD (CNS) – Exactly two weeks after his death at age 91, music legend Quincy Jones will be among the honorees Sunday evening at the annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards.
Jones and casting director Juliet Taylor will receive Academy Honorary Awards, which recognize “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences of any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
Writer/director/producer Richard Curtis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which honors “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.”
Meanwhile, the producing team of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, best known for the James Bond film series, will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, recognizing producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”
“The selection of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli is a testament to their success as producers of the fan-favorite (James) Bond series and their contribution to the industry’s theatrical landscape,” Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement when the honorees were announced in June. “Richard Curtis is a brilliant comedic storyteller whose tremendous charitable efforts embody the meaning of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Quincy Jones’ artistic genius and relentless creativity have made him one of the most influential musical figures of all time. Juliet Taylor has cast iconic and beloved films and paved a new path for the field.
“Their profound love of cinema and indelible contribution to our art form make these five individuals truly deserving of these honors.”
All five will be honored during the Governors Awards ceremony at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood.
Jones, who previously received the Hersholt Award in 1994, died Nov. 3 of pancreatic cancer. Jones was nominated for seven Oscars in his career, for films including “In Cold Blood,” “The Wiz” and “The Color Purple.”
Taylor’s casting credits include iconic films such as “Taxi Driver,” “Annie Hall,” “Schindler’s List,” “Big” and “Sleepless in Seattle.”
Curtis — known for films including “Notting Hill,” “Bridget Jones’ Diary,” “Love Actually” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral” — is the co- founder of Comic Relief UK and USA, helping to raise more than $2 billion over the past four decades. More recently he co-founded Project Everyone, which supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and established Make My Money Matter, an ethical investment campaign.
Wilson and Broccoli are the producers behind the James Bond film series, including the recent hits “No Time to Die,” “Casino Royale,” “Skyfall” and “Spectre.” They are also the directors of the Broccoli Foundation, which was founded by Barbara Broccoli’s parents, Dana and Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, in support of the arts, medicine and education. Barbara Broccoli will be only the second woman to receive the Thalberg Award.
Producer Kathleen Kennedy was the first woman to receive the honor in 2018, accepting the award with her husband and producing partner Frank Marshall.
The Governors Awards became a separate event — apart from the main Academy Awards ceremony — in 2009. The ceremony will not be televised, but instead recapped with a clips package during the annual Academy Awards, scheduled for March 2, 2025.
Recent Comments