Debbie Allen and Tom Cruise to Get Honorary Oscars – Here’s Who Else Will Be Recognized

Debbie Allen, Tom Cruise and two other Hollywood veterans will receive honorary Oscars later this year.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said its Board of Governors has voted to honor Allen, Cruise, production designer Wynn Thomas, and singer-songwriter Dolly Parton at the 16th annual Governors Awards.

Allen, Cruise, and Thomas will receive honorary Oscars for their contributions to the film industry. Parton will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, for her philanthropic work.

“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,” said Academy President Janet Yang in a statement on Tuesday, June 17.

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Honorary Oscars are given “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.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is given to an individual whose humanitarian efforts have brought “credit to the film industry.”

Allen’s career spans nearly five decades as a choreographer, actor, director and producer. She has choreographed the Oscars broadcast seven times and worked on films including Forget Paris, A Jazzman’s Blues and The Six Triple Eight. Her producing credits include Amistad and A Star for Rose, and she had acting roles in Fame and Ragtime.

Cruise is one of the highest-grossing actors in Hollywood history. Known for doing his own stunts and producing his films, he’s had roles in the Top Gun franchise, Jerry Maguire, Born on the Fourth of July, Minority Report, Collateral, A Few Good Men, Born on the Fourth of July, Magnolia, The Last Samurai, and the Mission: Impossible movies. He’s been nominated for four Oscars.

Parton, a two-time Oscar nominee in the best original song category, is being honored for her decades of charitable work, including her “Imagination Library,” which has provided hundreds of millions of free books to children around the world.

Thomas is best known for his longtime collaborations with director Spike Lee and worked as a production designer on Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, as well as on Hidden Figures, and A Beautiful Mind.

The statuettes will be presented at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025.