The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Three others have been selected to receive Honorary Awards for their contributions to the motion picture industry as well.
What’s happening:
- The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted on Tuesday night to present Awards to five industry professionals for their contributions to the motion picture industry.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award will be given to:
- Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall
- Honorary Award recipients include:
- Publicist Marvin Levy
- Composer Lalo Schifrin
- Actress Cicely Tyson
- The three Oscar statuettes and Thalberg Award will be presented at the Academy’s 10th Annual Governors Awards on Sunday, November 18.
- The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
- The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, a bust of the motion picture executive, is presented to creative producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”
What they’re saying:
- Academy President John Bailey: “Choosing the honorees for its awards each year is the happiest of all the Board of Governors’ work. And this year, its selection of five iconic artists was made with universal acclaim by the Academy’s 54 spirited governors.”
About Kennedy and Marshall:
- “The Kennedy/Marshall producing partnership, formed in 1991, has generated Best Picture nominations for The Sixth Sense (1999), Seabiscuit (2003), Munich (2005) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). Kennedy/Marshall Company productions also include Congo, all five “Bourne films, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Prior to forming Kennedy/Marshall, the duo co-founded Amblin Productions with Steven Spielberg, sharing a Best Picture nomination for The Color Purple (1985). Additionally, Marshall received a Best Picture nomination for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), while Kennedy was nominated in the same category for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), War Horse (2011) and Lincoln (2012). Kennedy is the first woman to receive the Thalberg Award.”
- Kathleen Kennedy is also the President of Lucasfilm which oversees the production of the Star Wars franchise.
- Frank Marshall’s Disney credits include: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Eight Below, The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), The Secret World of Arrietty and Ponyo (Studio Ghibli).
About Marvin Levy:
- “Levy began his career in publicity working for MGM in New York City before joining Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, where he guided the advertising for films including The Deep and Kramer vs. Kramer. His work for the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind marked the beginning of a four-decade-long partnership with Steven Spielberg. Levy has held positions at Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Studios and Amblin Partners, and has worked on publicity campaigns for such films as E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, American Beauty, Gladiator and Lincoln. Levy is the first publicist to receive an honorary Oscar.”
About Lalo Schifrin:
- “Born and raised in Argentina, Schifrin studied classical music and jazz in France before beginning to compose for film in Buenos Aires in the mid-1950s. He has written scores for more than 100 films, including The Cincinnati Kid, Bullitt, Dirty Harry, Enter the Dragon and Rush Hour. His memorable theme for the television series Mission: Impossible has been a hallmark of the recent film series. He has received six Oscar nominations, for the original scores for Cool Hand Luke (1967), The Fox (1968), Voyage of the Damned (1976) and The Amityville Horror (1979), the original song People Alone from The Competition (1980) and the adaptation score for The Sting II (1983).”
- Schifrin’s also composed and conducted the score for the 2-part Earth Star Voyager for Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color in 1988.
About Cicely Tyson:
- “Raised in Harlem, Tyson began her career as a model and a theater actress, appearing both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. After playing small roles in feature films and television, she was cast as Portia in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter in 1968. Four years later, she received an Academy Award nomination for her leading performance in Sounder. Her other notable film credits include The River Niger, Fried Green Tomatoes, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, The Help, Alex Cross and Last Flag Flying.”
- Tyson’s Disney credits include: the voice of Mrs. Maureen Parker on The Proud Family, and Ophelia Harkness on ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder.