Congrats to the 2021 Governors Awards winners from the Motion Picture Academy.
Honorary Oscars go to Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May and Liv Ullmann, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Danny Glover.
Glover’s award comes from his philanthropic work. The Academy notes: “A lifelong community activist, his efforts for worldwide justice have inspired others to follow his leadership. He has been a particularly strong advocate for economic justice and access to health care and education in the United States and Africa. He has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program and is currently a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.”
Elaine May deserves all kudos for her work as a writer, director, performer. She wrote the screenplay for directed one of my favorite movies, “The Heartbreak Kid,” and has dozens of other acclaimed credits, not to mention a lifetime of script doctoring. (Neil Simon wrote the screenplay, and thanks to sharp-eyed reader Barry Millen for catching my error.)
Sam Jackson, all I can say is, he missed getting an Oscar for “Pulp Fiction,” has a lifetime of terrific performances, and this is a wonderful idea. He is universally beloved.
Liv Ullmann’s incredible career in acting and directing always circles back to director Ingmar Bergman. She made four historic and classic movies with him including “Persona,” “The Passion of Anna,” “Cries and Whispers” and “Autumn Sonata.” Ullmann received Oscar nominations for Best Actress for “The Emigrants” (1971) and “Face to Face” (1976). Liv Ullmann has done so much work for the United Nations that she could have received the Hersholt Award herself!
The Governor’s Awards will be given at a ceremony on January 15, 2022 at the Hollywood and Highland complex.
