By Gina Yarbrough
Los Angeles, CA–The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors voted to present the 2024 Academy Honorary Awards to music composer Quincy Jones and casting director Juliet Taylor, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to British filmmaker Richard Curtis, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to James Bond film producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
These prestigious Oscar statuettes will be awarded at the Academy’s Governors Awards ceremony on November 17 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Ovation Hollywood.
“The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the bar incredibly high across their remarkable careers, and the Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to recognize them with Oscars,” said Academy President Janet Yang.
Curtis, known for his work on films such as “Notting Hill,” “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Love Actually,” and “About Time,” will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. As the co-founder of Comic Relief UK and USA, his fundraising efforts over 40 years have helped raise more than $2 billion and supported over 170 million people. Curtis also co-created Make Poverty History and helped produce the Live 8 concerts. Recently, he co-founded Project Everyone, supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and established the ethical investment campaign Make My Money Matter, which has influenced £1.3 trillion in sustainable pensions.
Jones is legendary in the music industry with a career spanning seven decades. His film credits include “In the Heat of the Night” and seven Oscar nominations for works such as “In Cold Blood,” “The Wiz,” and “The Color Purple,” for which he received a Best Picture nomination. Jones made history in 1967 as the first Black composer nominated in the Original Song category. His collaborations include work with Lesley Gore, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey. Jones previously received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 1994.
Taylor is a pioneering casting director whose career spans 50 years. Her credits include “Taxi Driver,” “Annie Hall,” “Big,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Schindler’s List,” “Interview with the Vampire,” “Angela’s Ashes,” “Midnight in Paris,” and “Blue Jasmine.” She has worked with directors such as James L. Brooks, Nora Ephron, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg.
Wilson and Broccoli of EON Productions will be recognized for their work on the James Bond film series. Their productions include “Casino Royale,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Skyfall,” “Spectre,” and “No Time to Die.” They have also produced independent films such as “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” “Nancy,” “The Rhythm Section,” “Till,” and “The Accidental Getaway Driver.” As directors of the Broccoli Foundation, founded by Dana and Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli, they support the arts, medicine, and education. Cubby Broccoli received the Thalberg Award in 1981, and Barbara Broccoli became the second woman to receive the Thalberg Award.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, honors extraordinary lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to motion picture arts and sciences, or outstanding service to the Academy.
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have promoted human welfare and addressed inequities.
The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, represented by an Oscar statuette, is presented to creative producers whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.
