Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise to receive honorary Oscars
1 of 5 | Tom Cruise will receive an Academy Honorary Award at the Governors Awards in November. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
June 17 (UPI) -- Actress, choreographer and producer Debbie Allen, actor Tom Cruise and production designer Wynn Thomas are set to receive honorary Oscars during the upcoming Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday.
The honorees will be feted during the 16th annual event Nov. 16 in Hollywood.
Academy Honorary Awards are meant to commemorate "extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline or for outstanding service to the Academy," a press release states.
Country music icon Dolly Parton will also be honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which recognizes the recipient's dedication to "promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities."
Presenting the 16th annual Governors Awards honorees:
• Debbie Allen • Tom Cruise • Wynn Thomas • Dolly Parton (Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award)
The 16th annual Governors Awards will be held on November 16, 2025. pic.twitter.com/V8UFtJE2LB— The Academy (@TheAcademy) June 17, 2025
"The Academy's Board of Governors is honored to recognize these brilliant artists," said President Janet Yang in a statement. "Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose works has captivated generations and crossed genres. Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all."
She continued, "Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts. And production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft."
Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell attend 'Mission: Impossible' NYC premiere
Tom Cruise arrives on the red carpet at the "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" premiere in New York City on May 18, 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
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Dolly Parton is poised to be an Oscar winner — the '9 to 5' singer is being awarded an honorary statuette for her humanitarian work. The 79-year-old country music performer will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in November, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors announced Tuesday. 'Parton will be recognized for her decades-long humanitarian efforts,' Academy Award organizers said in a statement. The actor and songwriter — who garnered Oscar nominations in the best original song category in 1981 and 2006 but never won — is the founder of the Dollywood Foundation. She launched her literacy program, 'Imagination Library,' in 1995. In addition to Parton, honorary Oscars will also be presented at a ceremony in Hollywood to 'Top Gun' star Tom Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 18: Tom Cruise attends the "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" New ... More York Premiere at Lincoln Center on May 18, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage) Tom Cruise, choreographer-actor-filmmaker Debbie Allen, production designer Wynn Thomas and singer-songwriter Dolly Parton are being given honorary Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement. Cruise, Allen and Wynn are being recognized for their contributions to the film industry, while Parton is being honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Cruise, Allen, Wynn and Parton will receive their statuettes at the Oscars' annual Governors Awards on Nov. 16. 'This year's Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact,' Academy President Janet Yang said in an AMPAS press release on Tuesday. BURBANK, CALIFORNIA - January 21, 2025: Debbie Allen appears on "The Jennifer Hudson Show" airing ... More January 23, 2025 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Chris Haston/WBTV via Getty Images). Check your local listings for times 'The Academy's Board of Governors is honored to recognize these brilliant artists. Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres,' Yang noted. 'Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all. 'Beloved performer Dolly Parton exemplifies the spirit of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts,' Yang added. "And production designer Wynn Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft.' HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 11: Wynn Thomas speaks onstage at 21st Annual Art Directors Guild's ... More Excellence In Production Design Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 11, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by) The honorary award is an Oscar statuette, which AMPAS said is 'to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.' The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is also an Oscar statuette, which AMPAS gives 'to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities,' the Academy noted. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, which is 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 by promoting human welfare and contributing to rectifying inequities.' NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 20: Dolly Parton speaks onstage at Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs In ... More Symphony World Premiere at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on March 20, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by) In the AMPAS press release, Tom Cruise was recognized as 'One of the most recognized and highest-grossing actors of all time.' The release noted that 'Cruise has been a committed advocate of the theatrical experience, and he helped to usher the industry through a challenging time during the COVID-19 pandemic.' Cruise's career began in 1981, when he starred in the romantic drama Endless Love and military drama Taps. Cruise was previously nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for 1989's Born on the Fourth of July and 1996's Jerry Maguire and was up for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for 1999's Magnolia. As a filmmaker, Cruise was nominated as a producer for the 2022 Best Picture Oscar nominee Top Gun: Maverick. Cruise recently took to the skies again to perform death-defying stunts for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth and possibly last film in the Mission: Impossible film series which he started in 1996. Neither Allen nor Thomas has been nominated for an Oscar. Allen has not only worked in film as a choreographer (The Six Triple Eight and two Oscar ceremonies) and actor (Fame, Ragtime) but she's also acted, directed and produced dozens of television series including Fame: TV Series and Grey's Anatomy. Allen also was a producer of director Steven Spielberg's 1997 historical drama Amistad, which was nominated for four Oscars. Thomas has worked as a production designer on more than 40 movies, including the Spike Lee films She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Malcolm X, Crooklyn and Da 5 Bloods. In addition, Thomas was a production designer on Tim Burton's Mars Attacks!, Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog, Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind and Reinaldo Marcus Green's King Richard. Parton has been nominated for two Oscars for Best Original Song: '9 to 5' for 1980's 9 to 5 and 'Travelin' Thru' for 2005's Transamerica. In addition, per IMDb, Parton has 675 soundtrack credits for music for film and television. Among Parton's charitable endeavors is theDollywood Foundation, which she founded in 1988. Per AMPAS, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library was established in 1995 in honor of Parton's father and 'has provided children with 285 million books.' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science's Governors Awards honoring Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen, Wynn Thomas and Dolly Parton will not be televised, but the four artists will be recognized during the broadcast of the 2026 Academy Awards.
