The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors voted to present Honorary Oscars to Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May and Liv Ullmann, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Danny Glover, the Academy announced on Wednesday.
Originally slated for Jan. 15, 2022, the rescheduled event will be scaled down in size. The four Honorary Oscars will be presented at the Academy’s 12th Governors Awards on Friday, Mar. 25, 2022, two days before the actual Oscars telecast in Los Angeles.
“We are thrilled to present this year’s Governors Awards to four honorees who have had a profound impact on both film and society,” Academy president David Rubin said in a statement. “Sam Jackson is a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide, while Elaine May’s bold, uncompromising approach to filmmaking, as a writer, director and actress, reverberates as loudly as ever with movie lovers. Liv Ullmann’s bravery and emotional transparency has gifted audiences with deeply affecting screen portrayals, and Danny Glover’s decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights reflects his dedication to recognizing our shared humanity on and off the screen.”
Since 2009, the Academy has been handing out its Honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards, an annual event designed both to give the honorees a fuller, more lavish presentation and to shorten the Oscar show by moving the honorary awards to a night of their own.
Glover broke out in “The Color Purple” and went on to star opposite Mel Gibson in the “Lethal Weapon” series. He has also appeared in “To Sleep with Anger,” “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Dreamgirls,” “Beyond the Lights” and “Sorry to Bother You.”
Jackson has brought an indelible presence to his roles in more than 100 films, ranging from independents to blockbusters. He earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting performance in “Pulp Fiction” (1994).
May made her mark as a writer-director with “A New Leaf,” in which she also starred, “Mikey and Nicky” and “Ishtar,” and also directed “The Heartbreak Kid.” Her screenwriting credits include “The Birdcage” and she received Oscar nominations for the adapted screenplays for “Heaven Can Wait” (1978) and “Primary Colors” (1998).
Ullmann came to the attention of international audiences in “Persona,” the first film she made with the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. Their notable collaboration went on to include “The Passion of Anna,” “Cries and Whispers” and “Autumn Sonata.” Ullmann received Oscar nominations for Best Actress for “The Emigrants” (1971) and “Face to Face” (1976). She made her directorial debut in 1992 with “Sofie” and later directed “Faithless,” from a script by Bergman.