November 15 ceremony will recognize the trailblazing artist, Disney’s first black animator, whose career spanned ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ ‘The Jungle Book,’ ‘Toy Story 2’ and ‘Monsters, Inc.,’ alongside the legendary actress, director, and producing duo.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Board of Governors has voted to present Academy Honorary Awards to animator Floyd Norman, actor Glenn Close and director Ridley Scott, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler. Oscar statuettes will be presented at the Academy's 17th Governors Awards on Sunday, November 15 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.
"The Academy's Board of Governors is thrilled to present this year's Governors Awards to five remarkable individuals whose groundbreaking work has forever shaped the art of filmmaking," Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said. "Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close's unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema. Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career. Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture. Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler play a central role in American independent cinema, championing bold, ambitious and distinctive storytelling."
Norman, an animator and storyboard artist, began his 65-year career at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1956, becoming the studio's first Black animator. His first Disney feature film was Sleeping Beauty, and he contributed to The Sword in the Stone, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood, as well as the short films Donald in Mathmagic Land, Goliath II and Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree. His other film credits include The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.
Close's acting career spans more than five decades, with more than 100 film credits. She has earned eight Oscar nominations, beginning with her feature film debut in The World According to Garp, followed by nominations for The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs, The Wife and Hillbilly Elegy. Her other film credits include Jagged Edge, Reversal of Fortune, Hamlet, 101 Dalmatians, 102 Dalmatians, Mars Attacks!, Air Force One, The Stepford Wives, The Girl with All the Gifts, Four Good Days and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
Scott has received Oscar nominations for directing Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down, as well as a Best Picture nomination for The Martian. Across a career spanning nearly six decades, he has directed Alien, Blade Runner, Legend, Black Rain, G.I. Jane, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster, Prometheus, All the Money in the World, House of Gucci, The Last Duel, Napoleon and the upcoming feature The Dog Stars. In 2024, Scott was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the British film industry.
Vachon and Koffler founded the New York-based independent production company Killer Films in 1995. Together, they have produced Hedwig and the Angry Inch, One Hour Photo, Camp, The Company, The Notorious Bettie Page, May December and Materialists. Vachon and Koffler earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination for Past Lives in 2024. Their productions at Killer Films also include Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Happiness, Boys Don't Cry, Far from Heaven, I'm Not There, Still Alice, Carol, First Reformed, Vox Lux, The World to Come, Zola and A Different Man.
The Honorary Award is given "to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award is presented to a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.
The 17th Governors Awards are presented in partnership with Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rolex is supporting the Governors Awards through its partnership with the Academy.
Source: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
