Quincy Jones, the first Black producer to be nominated for best picture, and legendary casting director Juliet Taylor will receive honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Wednesday. Screenwriter and director Richard Curtis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will be bestowed with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. The statuettes will be presented at the 15th annual ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Los Angeles.
“The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the bar incredibly high across their remarkable careers, and the Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to recognize them with Oscars,” said Janet Yang, Academy President. “The selection of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli is a testament to their success as producers of the fan-favorite Bond series and their contribution to the industry’s theatrical landscape. Richard Curtis is a brilliant comedic storyteller whose tremendous charitable efforts embody the meaning of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Quincy Jones’s 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.”
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The Honorary Award is “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or outstanding service to the Academy.”
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Jones, who became the first Black person to be nominated in the best picture category for the 1985 classic “The Color Purple,” has been a revered figure in the entertainment community for seven decades. The mogul, who’s worked with legends like Frank Sinatra, Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, has garnered six other Oscar noms in the music categories which include “The Color Purple,” “The Wiz” (1978), “For Love of Ivy” (1968), “Banning” (1967) and “In Cold Blood” (1967). For “Banning,” he also became the first Black composer to be nominated for original song for the number “The Eyes of Love.” He received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1995.
A prolific casting director, Taylor’s 50-year career has seen her involvement in some of cinema’s most popular and acclaimed movies from legendary directors, such as “Taxi Driver” from Martin Scorsese, “Big” from Penny Marshall, “Schindler’s List” from Spielberg and “Sleepless in Seattle” from Nora Ephron.
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”
Curtis is best known for his entertaining rom-com films such as “Notting Hill,” “Bridget Jones’ Diary,” and “Love Actually.” The British filmmaker earned his sole Oscar nomination for best original screenplay for the 1993 comedy “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” Curtis is the co-founder of Comic Relief UK and USA, and his fundraising work over 40 years has helped raise more than $2 billion and supported over 170 million people. In 2005, he co-created Make Poverty History and helped produce the Live 8 concerts. Most recently, he co-founded the group Project Everyone, giving practical support to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and established the ethical investment campaign Make My Money Matter.
The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which is now awarded with an Oscar statuette, is presented to creative producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”
Wilson and Broccoli of EON Productions have been at the helm of the massively popular James Bond franchise. Some of the most financially successful of the series include “Casino Royale,” “Skyfall,” and most recently, “No Time to Die.” The duo has also been behind the scenes executive producing multiple independent projects over the years, including “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” “Nancy,” “The Rhythm Section” and “Till.” They also serve as directors of the Broccoli Foundation, founded by Dana and Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli to support the arts, medicine, and education. Cubby Broccoli received the Thalberg Award in 1981. Barbara Broccoli is the second woman to receive the Thalberg Award after Kathleen Kennedy in 2018.
Last year’s Governors Awards ceremony, hosted by John Mulaney, presented Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, with honorary Oscars going to Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks and Carol Littleton.
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