It took a few more months, but Angela Bassett finally “did the thing.” The two-time Oscar nominee has been awarded an honorary Oscar by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She joins fellow honorary Oscar winners Mel Brooks and Carol Littleton as well as Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award winner Michelle Satter. All four will be celebrated at the 2023 Governors Awards on Saturday, Nov. 18th.
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In a statement, Academy President Janet Yang noted, “The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to honor four trailblazers who have transformed the film industry and inspired generations of filmmakers and movie fans. Across her decades-long career, Angela Bassett has continued to deliver transcendent performances that set new standards in acting.  Mel Brooks lights up our hearts with his humor, and his legacy has made a lasting impact on every facet of entertainment. Carol Littleton’s career in film editing serves as a model for those who come after her.  A pillar of the independent film community, Michelle Satter has played a vital role in the careers of countless filmmakers around the world.”
Bassett was a fan favorite to take the Supporting Actress Oscar this past March for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” only to lose out to surprise winner Jamie Lee Curtis. Her long list of film credits includes “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (her first Oscar nomination), “Boyz N the Hood,” “Malcolm X,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Music of the Heart,” “Sunshine State,” “Black Panther,” “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” “Avengers: Endgame” and “Soul.” She’ll be seen next in the Netflix thriller “Damsel.”
Already an EGOT winner, Brooks won an Original Screenplay Oscar in 1968 for “The Producers.” His films include classic comedies such as “Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein” as well as “The Twelve Chairs,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Silent Movie,” “High Anxiety,” “History of the World – Part I,” “Spaceballs,” “Life Stinks,” “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” and “Dracula: Dead and Loving It.” He is also a four-time Emmy Award winner, a three-time Grammy Award winner, and a three-time Tony Award legend. At a spry 96 years old, he just executive produced a new installment of “History of the World, Part II,” which was released on Hulu earlier this year.
A longtime collaborator of director Lawrence Kasdan, Littleton is an editor who is best known for Steven Spielberg’s seminal “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” her only Oscar nomination to date. Her other films include “Body Heat,” “The Big Chill,” “Places in the Heart,” “Margot at the Wedding,” and “The Manchurian Candidate.”  She has served as governor of the Academy’s Film Editors Branch, president, and vice president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, and on the Board of Directors of American Cinema Editors.
Satter is the founding senior director of the Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs, focused on the cultural impact of supporting independent storytellers.  The Academy notes, “In her more than 40 years in this role at the nonprofit, she has discovered and fostered the careers of hundreds of notable and award-winning filmmakers, many from underrepresented communities.  She has also led the Sundance Institute’s international initiatives in Asia, Europe, India, Latin America, and the Middle East.  She founded and oversees the vision and content of Sundance Collab, a global digital storytelling community and learning platform.”
For those afraid landing an honorary Oscar means you have little chance of winning a competitive statue, fear not. Just last year, Dianne Warren saw herself win an honorary Oscar in November and earn her 14th Academy Award nomination three months later.
The Academy states that the honorary Oscar “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 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”
The 2023 Governors Awards will be held in a private ceremony on Nov. 18.