Iconic actress Angela Bassett will be honored with an Oscar at an upcoming ceremony, ending years of missing out.
On Monday (June 26th), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the 64-year-old veteran performer would receive an honorary Oscar at the upcoming Governors Awards. Director, writer, and actor Mel Brooks will also be receiving an Oscar at the event along with film editor Carol Littleton. The award is meant “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or outstanding service to the Academy.”
“The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to honor four trailblazers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans,” said Academy President Janet Yang in the announcement. “Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting.”
Bassett had been recently nominated at this year’s Academy Awards for her role as Queen Ramonda in Wakanda Forever, the 2022 sequel to Black Panther. That nomination for the best supporting actress was her second in the category, and it made her the first actor from a Marvel Studios film and the first woman from a superhero film to be considered. The seven-time Emmy Award winner had previously been nominated for Best Actress portraying the late Tina Turner in the 1993 film What’s Love Got To Do With It.
The news of the honorary Oscar did garner reactions from some who felt that it was the Academy’s way to try to cover up her not being awarded a competitive Oscar for her work. Journalist Jerome Trammel pointed this out in a post on Twitter, writing: “The Academy Awards wanting Angela Bassett to accept an honorary Oscar is insulting. She BEEN earned it authentically & they’re trying to clean up the fact that racism runs deep in that show’s process. Calling it honorary leaves a stain that she didn’t get it by “their” standards.”
Last year, Michael J. Fox was awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, with honorary Oscars going to director Euzhan Palcy, songwriter Diane Warren, and director Peter Weir. The 14th annual Governors Awards will take place on November 18th in Los Angeles, California. The 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10th, 2024.
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Photo: Getty
