On Monday, June 26, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced that Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial editor Carol Littleton and the Sundance Institute’s Michelle Satter will be honored with The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
The so-called “honorary Oscar” is bestowed for “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
In the announcement, Academy President Janet Yang noted, “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.”
Bassett was heralded for her “decades-long career,” in which she “has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting,” said Yang.
The Producers Oscar winner Brooks “lights up our hearts with his humor, and his legacy has made a lasting impact on every facet of entertainment” on the big screen, TV and Broadway. Yang’s announcement continued, “Carol Littleton’s career in film editing serves as a model for those who come after her.”
Satter was honored as “a pillar of the independent film community [who] played a vital role in the careers of countless filmmakers around the world” as the founding senior director of Robert Redford‘s Sundance Institute.
Bassett’s honorary Oscar comes at an interesting time: She was the first performer to be nominated for an Academy Award for a Marvel Studios film, thanks to her work in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Her loyal fanbase was quick to vent their disappointment when the Best Supporting Actress trophy went instead to Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Jamie Lee Curtis at the 94th annual Academy Awards in March.
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