After decades, the Academy finally gives Ridley Scott, Glenn Close and more their long-overdue Oscars
The Academy is finally giving Glenn Close and Ridley Scott their due, rolling out honorary Oscars later this year for them and other industry heavyweights. The Motion Picture Academy recently unveiled the new slate of honorees, with past nominees leading the pack.
Well, it looks like the Academy is finally dusting off those golden statues for a few industry legends who, frankly, should have had them on the mantle ages ago. This November, the Oscars' honorary nods will be going to some very familiar (and long-overlooked) faces, as well as a handful of behind-the-scenes titans.
Who's Finally Getting an Oscar, Then?
If you know your film history, you won't be shocked by the names, but you might wonder what took so long:
- Glenn Close – A true powerhouse who's racked up eight Academy Award nominations across her career, but always went home empty-handed on Oscar night. Yes, eight. That's more than most 'Oscar winners' can even dream of. Her nomination run goes all the way back to her first film, 'The World According to Garp', then on to 'The Big Chill', 'The Natural', and moves through leading roles in 'Fatal Attraction', 'Dangerous Liaisons', 'Albert Nobbs', and 'The Wife', plus a supporting turn in 'Hillbilly Elegy'. Over one hundred films and television credits, still nothing shiny until now.
- Ridley Scott – Tricky one, this. Scott's been nominated for Best Director three times: for 'Thelma & Louise', 'Gladiator', and 'Black Hawk Down'. 'The Martian' (with Matt Damon) picked up a Best Picture nod too. But despite how much the man's shaped modern cinema, especially when you think about 'Alien' and 'Blade Runner', the competitive Oscar keeps eluding him. Until this honorary one, that is.
- Floyd Norman – If you don't know the name, you've definitely seen the work. Norman broke some serious ground in 1956 as Disney's first black animator. Since then, it's been a parade of absolute classics: 'Sleeping Beauty', 'The Sword in the Stone', 'The Jungle Book', 'Robin Hood', 'Mary Poppins' – and, later, storyboards on stuff like 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', 'Toy Story 2', and 'Mulan'.
- Christine Vachon & Pamela Koffler – These two are getting a different, but equally high-prestige, nod: the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. It's basically the Academy saying you've produced consistently great films, not just the odd one. Vachon and Koffler have been crucial figures in American indie cinema, backing daring and influential films and directors.
Governors Awards: Details for the Diary
The official handover happens at the 17th Governors Awards, a separate shindig from the televised Oscars, and known for a room full of industry heavyweights pretending not to be angling for a future collaboration. Set your watches (Rolex is the official sponsor, in case you're the sort of person who keeps track of such things) for 15th November. It's all taking place in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in LA – not the main theatre, but honestly, it's probably a better open bar.
In Their Own Words (and Why Now?)
The Academy's president summed it up by saying: 'The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the industry standard across a diverse range of cinematic achievements, and the Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to recognise them with Oscars.'
Translation: It took us long enough, but these are the sorts of careers that make even the voters feel a bit sheepish about past snubs.