Cicely Tyson set to receive honorary Oscar Award for lifetime achievement

The revered actress and humanitarian will be given one of the Motion Picture Academy's highest honors

Sep 6, 2018

This fall, legendary actress Cicely Tyson, composer Lalo Schifrin and publicist Martin Levy will be receiving honorary Oscar statuettes at the film academy’s Governors Awards.

Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the honorees after a Tuesday night vote by its board of governors, PageSix.com reports.

“Choosing the honorees for its awards each year is the happiest of all the Board of Governors’ work,” academy president John Bailey said in a statement. “And this year, its selection of five iconic artists was made with universal acclaim by the Academy’s 54 spirited governors.”

The Oscar is intended 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.”

None of the honorees have been awarded an Oscar before. Which may shock fans who are aware of Tyson’s impressive and extensive resume. Tyson was born in Harlem and began her career as a model and a theater actress, appearing both on and off-Broadway.

After small roles in film and television, she was cast as Portia in 1968’s “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.” Four years later, she received what would end up being her only Oscar nomination for her leading performance in “Sounder.”

At 93, the prolific stage and screen actress has managed to work steadily in an industry that often discards aging actresses, and as a result has attracted fans of all ages. Her other notable film credits include “The River Niger,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Diary of A Mad Black Woman,” “The Help,” “Alex Cross” and “Last Flag Flying.”

The 10th annual Governors Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Nov. 18.