Visionary director Spike Lee will receive an honorary Oscar from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences along with actress Gena Rowlands. Actress Debbie Reynolds has the honor of getting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her work with mental health issues.
The Governor's Award 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," according to CBS News. All the honorees have been nominated for an Academy Award but none of them have ever won.
Lee has two nominations for "Do the Right Thing's" original screenplay in 1989 and another for Best Documentary for "4 Little Girls" in 1998. Lee is a graduate of New York University's prestigious film school. He is the director of films such as "She's Gotta Have it," "Inside Man" and "Malcolm X." Lee currently serves as the artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU.
"The Board is proud to recognize our honorees' remarkable contributions at this year's Governors Awards," Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs says in a statement, according to Deadline. "We'll be celebrating their achievements with the knowledge that the work they have accomplished - with passion, dedication and a desire to make a positive difference - will also enrich future generations."
All three awards will be presented at the academy's 7th annual Governors Awards on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Hollywood and Highland Center, according to USA Today.
