
LOS ANGELES, CA โThe Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (September 4) to present Honorary Awards to publicist Marvin Levy, composer Lalo Schifrin and actress Cicely Tyson, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The three Oscarยฎ statuettes and Thalberg Award will be presented at the Academyโs 10th Annual Governors Awards on Sunday, November 18, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Centerยฎ.
โChoosing the honorees for its awards each year is the happiest of all the Board of Governorsโ work. And this year, its selection of five iconic artists was made with universal acclaim by the Academyโs 54 spirited governors,โ said Academy President John Bailey.
Levy began his career in publicity working for MGM in New York City before joining Columbia Pictures in Hollywood, where he guided the advertising for films including โThe Deepโ and โKramer vs. Kramer.โ His work for the 1977 film โClose Encounters of the Third Kindโ marked the beginning of a four-decade-long partnership with Steven Spielberg. Levy has held positions at Amblin Entertainment, DreamWorks Studios and Amblin Partners, and has worked on publicity campaigns for such films as โE.T. The Extra Terrestrial,โ โBack to the Future,โ โWho Framed Roger Rabbit,โ โSchindlerโs List,โ โSaving Private Ryan,โ โAmerican Beauty,โ โGladiatorโ and โLincoln.โ Levy is the first publicist to receive an honorary Oscar.
Born and raised in Argentina, Schifrin studied classical music and jazz in France before beginning to compose for film in Buenos Aires in the mid-1950s. He has written scores for more than 100 films, including โThe Cincinnati Kid,โ โBullitt,โ โDirty Harry,โ โEnter the Dragonโ and โRush Hour.โ His memorable theme for the television series โMission: Impossibleโ has been a hallmark of the recent film series. He has received six Oscarยฎ nominations, for the original scores for โCool Hand Lukeโ (1967), โThe Foxโ (1968), โVoyage of the Damnedโ (1976) and โThe Amityville Horrorโ (1979), the original song โPeople Aloneโ from โThe Competitionโ (1980) and the adaptation score for โThe Sting IIโ (1983).
Raised in Harlem, Tyson began her career as a model and a theater actress, appearing both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. After playing small roles in feature films and television, she was cast as Portia in โThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunterโ in 1968. Four years later, she received an Academy Awardยฎ nomination for her leading performance in โSounder.โ Her other notable film credits include โThe River Niger,โ โFried Green Tomatoes,โ โDiary of a Mad Black Woman,โ โThe Help,โ โAlex Crossโ and โLast Flag Flying.โ
The Kennedy/Marshall producing partnership, formed in 1991, has generated Best Picture nominations for โThe Sixth Senseโ (1999), โSeabiscuitโ (2003), โMunichโ (2005) and โThe Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonโ (2008). Kennedy/Marshall Company productions also include โCongo,โ all five โBourneโ films, and โThe Diving Bell and the Butterfly.โ Prior to forming Kennedy/Marshall, the duo co-founded Amblin Productions with Steven Spielberg, sharing a Best Picture nomination for โThe Color Purpleโ (1985). Additionally, Marshall received a Best Picture nomination for โRaiders of the Lost Arkโ (1981), while Kennedy was nominated in the same category for โE.T. The Extra-Terrestrialโ (1982), โWar Horseโ (2011) and โLincolnโ (2012). Kennedy is the first woman to receive the Thalberg Award.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given โto honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.โ The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, a bust of the motion picture executive, is presented to creative producers โwhose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.โ