Tom Cruise is finally getting an Oscar — as will Dolly Parton, Debbie
Allen and Wynn Thomas
[June 18, 2025]
By LINDSEY BAHR
Thirty-five years after Tom Cruise received his first Oscar nomination,
he’s finally getting a trophy. It’s not for his death-defying stunts,
either. At least, not exclusively.
Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and “Do The Right Thing” production
designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary Oscar
statuettes at the annual Governors Awards, the film academy said
Tuesday. Dolly Parton will also be recognized with the Jean Hersholt
Humanitarian Award for her decades-long charitable work in literacy and
education.
“This year’s Governors Awards will celebrate four legendary individuals
whose extraordinary careers and commitment to our filmmaking community
continue to leave a lasting impact,” Academy President Janet Yang said
in a statement.
Most recipients of the prize historically have not yet won a competitive
Oscar themselves. Cruise, 62, has been nominated four times, twice for
best actor in “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire,” once for
supporting actor in “Magnolia” and once for best picture with “Top Gun:
Maverick.” He’s also championed theatrical moviegoing and big-scale
Hollywood production through the coronavirus pandemic.
Yang spotlighted Cruise’s “incredible commitment to our filmmaking
community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community.”
Allen, 75, has never been nominated for an Oscar. But the
multi-hyphenate entertainer — she also acts and produces — has played an
integral role in the Oscars show, having choreographed seven ceremonies
over the years. Four of those were nominated for prime-time Emmy awards.
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This combination of photos shows choreographer Debbie Allen, from
left, actor Tom Cruise, entertainer Dolly Parton and production
designer Wynn Thomas. (AP Photo)
 A nomination had also eluded Thomas,
a leading production designer whose films have often gone on to best
picture nominations and even one win, for Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful
Mind.” Thomas is most known for his long-term collaboration with
filmmaker Spike Lee, from “She’s Gotta Have It” and “Malcolm X”
through “Da 5 Bloods.”
Parton has been nominated twice for best original
song, for “9 to 5” and, in 2006, “Travelin’ Thru” from the film
“Transamerica.” But her honor celebrates her humanitarian efforts
over the years, through organizations like the Dollywood Foundation
and the literary program “Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.”
Yang said Parton “exemplifies the spirit” of the Jean Hersholt
Humanitarian Award.
The awards will be handed out during an untelevised ceremony on Nov.
16 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles. Last year’s recipients
included the late Quincy Jones, Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and
Michael G. Wilson, filmmaker Richard Curtis and casting director
Juliet Taylor.
Recipients of the prizes, which honor lifetime achievement,
contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences and
service to the academy are selected by the film academy’s board of
governors.
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