Overview
- At the Los Angeles Governors Awards on November 16, the 63-year-old accepted an Honorary Oscar, his first Academy statuette.
- In an emotional speech, Cruise said filmmaking is who he is and praised cinema’s power to bring people together to laugh, feel, hope and dream.
- The recognition highlights a career spanning Top Gun and Mission: Impossible, with self-performed feats such as descending Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and a six-minute underwater breath hold.
- He had four prior Academy Award nominations without a competitive win, including acting nods for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, and a producing nomination for Top Gun: Maverick.
- Debbie Allen and Wynn Thomas were also honored, while Dolly Parton received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award via video message, with a star-studded audience in attendance.