It's about time Tom Cruise got an Oscar, the academy decides — Dolly Parton, too
It's finally Oscar time for Tom Cruise, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences has decided.
Cruise, Dolly Parton, actor-producer-director-dancer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas will receive Academy Honorary Awards for their ample (and as-yet unrecognized) contributions to big-screen culture.
Read more: 'Lilo & Stitch' and Tom Cruise's 'Mission: Impossible' power record Memorial Day weekend box office
They are, according to a statement Tuesday from academy President Janet Yang, "four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact."
Cruise (who famously does his own stunts) has "inspired us all," according to Yang, with his "incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community."
Sometimes called Hollywood's last real movie star, Cruise has fueled box office revenue like few others, drawing crowds to the wildly successful "Top Gun" and "Mission Impossible" films, not to mention "Rain Man," "War of the Worlds," "Risky Business" and "Jerry Maguire."
He has been nominated for four Oscars in the past — twice for lead actor, once for supporting actor and once for best picture, for "Top Gun: Maverick" — but hasn't taken one home.
Allen is being honored for her nearly five-decade career, during which she has acted, sung, danced, directed, produced and executive-produced. In that time she has choreographed the globally televised Academy Awards ceremony seven times and performed as well.
"Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres," Yang said. While much of the six-time Emmy winner's work has been in TV, film credits tagged to her many job descriptions include "Ragtime," "Fame," "Amistad," "Forget Paris" and more.
And without Thomas' work, Spike Lee wouldn't be who he is today. Thomas started his career as a production designer on the director's 1986 effort "She's Gotta Have It," then continued their collaboration on 'Do the Right Thing,' "Jungle Fever," "School Daze," 'Malcolm X' and 'Da 5 Bloods." He also worked on "Eddie Murphy: Raw," Robert Townsend's "The Five Heartbeats" and "King Richard," which delivered a lead actor Academy Award for Will Smith.
Other films on Thomas' resume? "Hidden Figures," which was nominated for three Oscars, and "A Beautiful Mind," which won four. "Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft," Yang said.
Read more: After decades of pushing, stunts will get their own Oscar
Meanwhile, Parton will take home the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and its attendant Oscar statuette, an honor 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.'
The singer and "9 to 5" star, whose husband, Carl Dean, died in March, has long put her fame to good use. Yang said Parton "exemplifies the spirit" of the Hersholt award "through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts." The woman behind Dollywood has been nominated for original song Oscars twice.
The honors will be given out Nov. 16 at the academy's 16th Governors Awards in Hollywood.
Sign up for Indie Focus, a weekly newsletter about movies and what's going on in the wild world of cinema.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Military News
3 hours ago
- American Military News
It's about time Tom Cruise got an Oscar, the academy decides — Dolly Parton, too
It's finally Oscar time for Tom Cruise, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts & Sciences has decided. Cruise, Dolly Parton, actor-producer-director-dancer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas will receive Academy Honorary Awards for their ample (and as-yet unrecognized) contributions to big-screen culture. They are, according to a statement Tuesday from academy President Janet Yang, 'four legendary individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact.' Cruise (who famously does his own stunts) has 'inspired us all,' according to Yang, with his 'incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community.' Sometimes called Hollywood's last real movie star, Cruise has fueled box office revenue like few others, drawing crowds to the wildly successful 'Top Gun' and 'Mission Impossible' films, not to mention 'Rain Man,' 'War of the Worlds,' 'Risky Business' and 'Jerry Maguire.' He has been nominated for four Oscars in the past — twice for lead actor, once for supporting actor and once for best picture, for 'Top Gun: Maverick' — but hasn't taken one home. Allen is being honored for her nearly five-decade career, during which she has acted, sung, danced, directed, produced and executive-produced. In that time she has choreographed the globally televised Academy Awards ceremony seven times and performed as well. 'Debbie Allen is a trailblazing choreographer and actor, whose work has captivated generations and crossed genres,' Yang said. While much of the six-time Emmy winner's work has been in TV, film credits tagged to her many job descriptions include 'Ragtime,' 'Fame,' 'Amistad,' 'Forget Paris' and more. And without Thomas' work, Spike Lee wouldn't be who he is today. Thomas started his career as a production designer on the director's 1986 effort 'She's Gotta Have It,' then continued their collaboration on 'Do the Right Thing,' 'Jungle Fever,' 'School Daze,' 'Malcolm X' and 'Da 5 Bloods.' He also worked on 'Eddie Murphy: Raw,' Robert Townsend's 'The Five Heartbeats' and 'King Richard,' which delivered a lead actor Academy Award for Will Smith. Other films on Thomas' resume? 'Hidden Figures,' which was nominated for three Oscars, and 'A Beautiful Mind,' which won four. 'Thomas has brought some of the most enduring films to life through a visionary eye and mastery of his craft,' Yang said. Meanwhile, Parton will take home the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and its attendant Oscar statuette, an honor 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.' The singer and '9 to 5' star, whose husband, Carl Dean, died in March, has long put her fame to good use. Yang said Parton 'exemplifies the spirit' of the Hersholt award 'through her unwavering dedication to charitable efforts.' The woman behind Dollywood has been nominated for original song Oscars twice. The honors will be given out Nov. 16 at the academy's 16th Governors Awards in Hollywood. ___ © 2025 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Geek Tyrant
3 hours ago
- Geek Tyrant
TOP GUN 3 Director Joseph Kosinski Teases "Ambitious" Idea With Help From the Navy and Lockheed — GeekTyrant
After Top Gun: Maverick rocketed past the billion-dollar mark and reignited the legacy of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, the big question became: What's next? The answer is starting to come into focus, and it sounds like something that could push the franchise into uncharted airspace. In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski confirmed that Top Gun 3 is in active development, and it won't be more of the same. He shared: 'Ehren Kruger is writing the script as we speak. It's a big idea that I spent almost a year developing — working with some friends at the Navy and Lockheed. And yeah, Ehren's into it now, so we'll see how it comes along.' I love that whatever he's cooking for this third film required months of collaboration with actual Navy personnel and Lockheed engineers. It's all because the idea was just too big to ignore. He added: 'It was about coming up with an idea that — again — felt like a new challenge. Something that opens up the story in a way you just can't let go. And I think the idea is so ambitious. That's what's exciting to me.' Kosinski isn't the only returning name in the cockpit. Christopher McQuarrie, who co-wrote Maverick and has been busy steering the Mission: Impossible franchise, is also onboard, and according to him, the story came together faster than expected. 'It wasn't hard. I thought it would be, and that's a good place to go from is you walk into the room going, 'Come on, what are we going to do?' and Ehren Kruger pitched something and I went, 'Mhm actually,' and we had one conversation about it and the framework is there.' That "framework" will build on the emotional and thematic core of Top Gun: Maverick , a film that found new depth in Maverick's role as a mentor, his unresolved history with Goose's son, and his brush with obsolescence in a rapidly modernizing military. While details on Top Gun 3 remain tightly under wraps, the involvement of Lockheed and the Navy suggests that whatever Kosinski and team have planned, it's going to lean heavily into the bleeding edge of aerial warfare, and probably ask some tough questions about the future of fighter pilots in an age of unmanned drones and AI systems. Until then, Top Gun fans can take comfort in knowing that the next mission is in the works and that it's being crafted with the same care, technical precision, and story-driven focus that made Maverick a modern action classic.
4 hours ago
Tom Cruise, Dolly Parton among stars to receive honorary Oscars
Tom Cruise, Debbie Allen, Dolly Parton and production designer Wynn Thomas will receive honorary Oscars at the 16th annual Governors Awards this November.
