Among those who will get honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards are Angela Bassett and Mel Brooks.
Angela and Brooks receive honorary Oscars: Carol Littleton, 81, the editor of films like Body Heat, ET the Extra-Terrestrial, and The Big Chill, will be joining Bassett, 64, and Brooks, 96. The Academy will present Michelle Satter of the Sundance Institute with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Prize.
According to Academy President Janet Yang, Angela Bassett “has continued to give spectacular performances that established new standards in acting throughout her decades-long career. Mel Brooks warms our hearts with his humor, and we can feel his influence in every aspect of entertainment today.
“Carol Littleton’s film editing career serves as an example for those who follow in her footsteps. Michelle Satter, a stalwart of the indie cinema industry, has been essential to the professional development of innumerable filmmakers all around the world.
For her major part in the biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It? Bassett received two previous Oscar nominations for her role as Tina Turner in a film released thirty years ago. In addition, her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever from the previous year earned her a nomination.
Breaking Records: Marvel Actor and Superhero Movie Lead Earns Nominations, John Singleton’s Landmark Achievement, and Brooks’ EGOT Journey
As the first actor from a Marvel movie to gain an acting nomination and the first female from a superhero movie (the first Black Panther movie was the first superhero movie to receive a best picture nomination), those nominations broke two records.
John Singleton, in the landmark 1991 film Boyz N the Hood, achieved a historic milestone as the first Black director and the youngest person ever to receive a nomination for the best director award. She also made an appearance in the film.
In addition, Bassett appeared in the movie Pixar’s Soul (2020), How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998), and Malcolm X (1992).
For his work on the screenplay of The Producers (1967), which he also directed and acted in, Brooks received his first Academy Award. In the same year that the comedic classic Blazing Saddles was released, he also received a nomination for Young Frankenstein. Further, Brooks has earned the EGOT, being one of only 18 individuals who have received an Emmy, Grammy, and Tony over their careers.
However, The Governors awards ceremony takes place in Hollywood on November 18.