Tom Cruise to Receive an Honorary Oscar

Despite his death-defying stunts as the spy Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise has yet to land an Oscar for any of the eight installments of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. His portrayal of the sports agent Jerry Maguire in 1996 earned him a nod from the film academy for best actor, and as a producer he was up for best motion picture in 2023 with “Top Gun: Maverick.”

But his career has not included a golden Oscars statuette. Until now.

In November, Cruise will receive an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, alongside the production designer Wynn Thomas, and the choreographer and actress Debbie Allen, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday.

Dolly Parton, the singer and actress, will be presented with the annual Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable works.

The honorary awards, in their 16th year, are given out by the academy’s board of governors to recognize “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement” in the film industry or “outstanding contributions” to the state of filmmaking. They will be presented months before the main Oscars ceremony in March and will not be televised.

This time the awards celebrate four “individuals whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community continue to leave a lasting impact,” the academy president, Janet Yang, said in a statement.

Cruise, 62, was first nominated for an Academy Award in 1990 for his portrayal of Ron Kovic, a Vietnam War veteran, in the biographical film “Born on the Fourth of July.” He has received three other nominations since then, for “Jerry Maguire,” “Magnolia,” and “Top Gun: Maverick.”