Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton among stars set to receive honorary Oscars

Thirty-five years after Tom Cruise received his first Oscar nomination, he’s finally getting a trophy.

Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and Do The Right Thing production designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards, the film academy said.

“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 a statement.

Most recipients of the prize historically have not yet won a competitive Oscar themselves.

Cruise, 62, has been nominated four times, twice for best actor in Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire, once for supporting actor in Magnolia and once for best picture with Top Gun: Maverick.

He has also championed theatrical moviegoing and big-scale Hollywood production through the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms Yang spotlighted Cruise’s “incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community”

But her honour celebrates her humanitarian efforts over the years, through organisations like the Dollywood Foundation and the literary programme Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Ms Yang said Parton “exemplifies the spirit” of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The awards will be handed out during an untelevised ceremony on November 16 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles.

Last year’s recipients included the late Quincy Jones, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, filmmaker Richard Curtis and casting director Juliet Taylor.

Recipients of the prizes, which honour lifetime achievement, contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences and service to the academy are selected by the film academy’s board of governors.