The Academy's Board of Governors has announced the recipients of this year's Governors Awards, with the annual gala set for November. The honorees being celebrated are Euzhan Palcy, Diane Warren and Peter Weir, with Michael J. Fox being presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
"The Academy’s Board of Governors is honored to recognize four individuals who have made indelible contributions to cinema and the world at large," says Academy President David Rubin. "Euzhan Palcy is a pioneering filmmaker whose groundbreaking significance in international cinema is cemented in film history. Diane Warren’s music and lyrics have magnified the emotional impact of countless motion pictures and inspired generations of musical artists. Peter Weir is a director of consummate skill and artistry whose work reminds us of the power of film to reveal the full range of human experience."
Named for the Danish actor and philanthropist, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry. "Michael J. Fox's tireless advocacy of research on Parkinson’s disease alongside his boundless optimism exemplifies the impact of one person in changing the future for millions," says Rubin.
Michael J. Fox
The actor played Marty McFly in the beloved 1985 sci-fi adventure comedy Back to the Future (a four-time Oscar nominated movie and winner of Best Sound Effects Editing). He reprised the role in the Oscar-nominated Back to the Future Part II and again in Back to the Future Part III, along with starring in 1985's Teen Wolf and the Oscar-nominated 1995 romantic drama The American President, among many more movies.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's. The Foundation's online clinical study, Fox Insight, has galvanized people with Parkinson's and their families to take an active role in research by sharing their lived experience of the disease.
Euzhan Palcy
The pioneering director, writer and producer is a bona fide history maker: With her debut feature, 1983's Sugar Cane Alley, Palcy became the first woman and first Black director to win a César Award, France's highest film honor.
With her second film, 1989's A Dry White Season, she became the first Black woman to direct for a major Hollywood studio. Having drawn Marlon Brando out of retirement to star in the movie, Palcy became the only woman to ever direct the legendary actor. When he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, Palcy became the first Black filmmaker to direct an Oscar-nominated performance.
Diane Warren
One of the most prolific songwriters in history, Warren is a Grammy winner and 13-time Oscar nominee. She earned her first Best Original Song nomination with Albert Hammond for "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" for the 1987 film Mannequin.
Warren has also been recognized for penning original songs for movies including Up Close and Personal ("Because You Loved Me," performed by Celine Dion), The Hunting Ground ("Til It Happens to You" with Lady Gaga) and, most recently, Four Good Days ("Somehow You Do," performed by Reba McEntire).
Peter Weir
The director, writer and producer emerged from the Australian New Wave film movement with movies such as Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and The Year of Living Dangerously (1982). He has received six Oscar nominations in his career; for 1985's Witness (Best Director), 1989's Dead Poets Society (Best Director), 1990's Green Card (Best Original Screenplay), 1998's The Truman Show (Best Director), and 2003's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Best Director and Best Picture).
The 13th Governors Awards will be held on Nov. 19, 2022, in Los Angeles.
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