Tom Cruise made headlines as he accepted an Honorary Oscar at the 16th Governors Awards on November 16, 2025. The award for his four-decade legacy in cinema was presented by acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro G. Inarritu. The duo is also currently working on an untitled project expected to be released in October 2026.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/miss-universe-2025-india-s-manika-vishwakarma-is-asked-the-same-question-that-had-won-sushmita-sen-the-crown-in-1994-1763374506361">Miss Universe 2025: India’s Manika Vishwakarma is asked the same question that had won Sushmita Sen the crown in 1994</a><h2>Tom Cruise steals the show &nbsp;</h2>Dressed in a classic black tuxedo, he proudly accepted the golden statuette and posed on the Los Angeles red carpet. But what moved the crowd was his emotional speech, where Cruise thanked "the thousands of people who make movies possible," including crew members, writers, and technicians who “work in the shadows but carry the industry.”&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bollywood/dhurandhar-trailer-release-date-out-ranveer-singh-s-film-set-to-cross-3-hour-runtime-here-s-what-we-know-1763370875183">Dhurandhar trailer release date out: Ranveer Singh's film over 3-hour runtime?</a>&nbsp;Then the 63-year-old star opened about the unifying power of cinema, "The cinema, it takes me around the world,” Cruise said. "It helps me to appreciate and respect differences. It shows me also our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways. And no matter where we come from, in that theater, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, and that is the power of this art form. And that is why it matters, that is why it matters to me. So making films is not what I do, it is who I am."&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/k-drama-the-remarried-empress-sparks-controversy-over-ju-ji-hoon-s-costume-here-s-why-1763359180849">K-drama The Remarried Empress sparks controversy over Ju Ji Hoon's costume</a><h2>Tom Cruise opens up about a special moment</h2>He also shared about the moment that shaped his life, "My love for cinema began at a very early age, as early as I can remember. I was just a little kid in a darkened theater, and I remember that beam of light just cut across the room, and I remember looking up, and it seemed to be just exploded on the screen. Suddenly, the world was so much larger than the one that I knew. And entire cultures and lives and landscapes all unfolded in front of me, and it sparked something. It sparked a hunger for adventure, a hunger for knowledge, a hunger to understand humanity, to create characters, to tell a story, to see the world. It opened my eyes. It opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries that I then perceived in my own life. And that beam of light opened a desire to open the world, and I have been following it ever since."&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/d4vd-has-the-private-investigator-uncovered-a-new-clue-in-celeste-rivas-death-1763364575050">D4vd: Has the private investigator uncovered a new clue in Celeste Rivas' death?</a><h2>A star-studded evening</h2>Other notable honorees are Debbie Allen, honoured by Cynthia Erivo, Wynn Thomas (veteran production designer), and Dolly Parton, who received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The star-studded guest list included Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sydney Sweeney, Dwayne Johnson, Emma Stone, and others.&nbsp;<h2>About Tom Cruise's earlier nominations</h2>Before he received the honour, Tom had earned four Oscar nominations for Born on the Fourth of July (Best Actor), Jerry Maguire (Best Actor), Magnolia (Best Supporting Actor), and Top Gun: Maverick (Best Picture nominee as producer). Currently, he is also enjoying the success of Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning, which has taken over the global box office.&nbsp;

Tom Cruise received an Honorary Oscar at the 16th Governors Awards on November 16. He accepted the award with an emotional speech that went viral on social media. Read on to know more.  


Tom Cruise made headlines as he accepted an Honorary Oscar at the 16th Governors Awards on November 16, 2025. The award for his four-decade legacy in cinema was presented by acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro G. Inarritu. The duo is also currently working on an untitled project expected to be released in October 2026. Also Read: Miss Universe 2025: India’s Manika Vishwakarma is asked the same question that had won Sushmita Sen the crown in 1994 Tom Cruise steals the show Dressed in a classic black tuxedo, he proudly accepted the golden statuette and posed on the Los Angeles red carpet. But what moved the crowd was his emotional speech, where Cruise thanked "the thousands of people who make movies possible," including crew members, writers, and technicians who “work in the shadows but carry the industry.” Also Read: Dhurandhar trailer release date out: Ranveer Singh's film over 3-hour runtime? Then the 63-year-old star opened about the unifying power of cinema, "The cinema, it takes me around the world,” Cruise said. "It helps me to appreciate and respect differences. It shows me also our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways. And no matter where we come from, in that theater, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, and that is the power of this art form. And that is why it matters, that is why it matters to me. So making films is not what I do, it is who I am." Also Read: K-drama The Remarried Empress sparks controversy over Ju Ji Hoon's costume Tom Cruise opens up about a special moment He also shared about the moment that shaped his life, "My love for cinema began at a very early age, as early as I can remember. I was just a little kid in a darkened theater, and I remember that beam of light just cut across the room, and I remember looking up, and it seemed to be just exploded on the screen. Suddenly, the world was so much larger than the one that I knew. And entire cultures and lives and landscapes all unfolded in front of me, and it sparked something. It sparked a hunger for adventure, a hunger for knowledge, a hunger to understand humanity, to create characters, to tell a story, to see the world. It opened my eyes. It opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries that I then perceived in my own life. And that beam of light opened a desire to open the world, and I have been following it ever since." Also Read: D4vd: Has the private investigator uncovered a new clue in Celeste Rivas' death? A star-studded evening Other notable honorees are Debbie Allen, honoured by Cynthia Erivo, Wynn Thomas (veteran production designer), and Dolly Parton, who received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The star-studded guest list included Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sydney Sweeney, Dwayne Johnson, Emma Stone, and others. About Tom Cruise's earlier nominations Before he received the honour, Tom had earned four Oscar nominations for Born on the Fourth of July (Best Actor), Jerry Maguire (Best Actor), Magnolia (Best Supporting Actor), and Top Gun: Maverick (Best Picture nominee as producer). Currently, he is also enjoying the success of Mission: Impossible-The Final Reckoning, which has taken over the global box office.

Tom Cruise received an Honorary Oscar at the 16th Governors Awards on November 16. He accepted the award with an emotional speech that went viral on social media. Read on to know more. &nbsp;

Tom Cruise receives Honorary Oscar at Governors Awards, his emotional speech goes viral; 'My love for cinema began...'

Hollywood veteran Mel Brooks was honoured with the lifetime achievement Oscar on Tuesday. The 97-year-old received an Oscar more than half a century after he won his only Academy Award for The Producers. 
 
At a black-tie gala, Brooks -- who memorably sent up Adolf Hitler in the seminal satire The Producers, as well as exposing racial bigotry in films like Blazing Saddles -- joked that he felt bad about the fate of his previous Oscar which he won for best original screenplay.&nbsp; 
 
"I miss it so much. I never should have sold it," he said, to raucous laughter in the ballroom. "I won't sell this one, I swear to God!" Brooks added.

The legendary US comic and filmmaker is one of the select few entertainers to win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy -- collectively called an EGOT -- across a career spanning eight decades.

His latest honour came at the Governors Awards, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which each year honours four industry veterans, many of whom are felt to have not received their dues at the regular Oscars.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-golden-globes-2024-oppenheimer-wins-top-honours-as-barbie-gets-snubbed-677714">Golden Globes 2024: Oppenheimer wins top honours as Barbie gets snubbed</a>

Angela Bassett was also honoured on Tuesday at the gala. Bassett had been nominated twice before - once for playing Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It and then for playing Queen Ramonda in the 2022 superhero sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Noting that she was only the second Black actress to earn an honorary Oscar, after Cicely Tyson, Bassett paid tribute to other Black female Hollywood pioneers such as Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for Gone with the Wind&nbsp;in 1940.

It would be another half-century until McDaniel was followed by Whoopi Goldberg.

"My prayer is that we leave this industry more enriched, forward-thinking and inclusive than we found it," said Bassett.&nbsp;

"A future where there won't be a 'first', or an 'only', or suspense around whether 'history will be made' with a nomination or a win."

The Governors Awards represent a key chance for this year's Oscars hopefuls to socialise and network with Academy voters on behalf of their latest films. The Academy will announce Oscar nominees on 24 January.&nbsp; 
 
Attendees at this year's Governors Awards included Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and Florence Pugh on behalf of Oppenheimer, and Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie for Barbie.

Emma Stone -- fresh from her Golden Globes win for Poor Things -- also attended, as did Paul Giamatti from The Holdovers,&nbsp;and Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese on behalf of Killers of the Flower Moon.

This year's Governors Awards were delayed due to the Hollywood actors' strike, which prevented stars from working or promoting their movies for months before a deal with studios was clinched in November.&nbsp;The 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10.&nbsp;

Hollywood veteran Mel Brooks was honoured with the lifetime achievement Oscar on Tuesday. The 97-year-old received an Oscar more than half a century after he won his only Academy Award for The Producers.

Hollywood veteran Mel Brooks was honoured with the lifetime achievement Oscar on Tuesday. The 97-year-old received an Oscar more than half a century after he won his only Academy Award for The Producers. At a black-tie gala, Brooks -- who memorably sent up Adolf Hitler in the seminal satire The Producers, as well as exposing racial bigotry in films like Blazing Saddles -- joked that he felt bad about the fate of his previous Oscar which he won for best original screenplay. "I miss it so much. I never should have sold it," he said, to raucous laughter in the ballroom. "I won't sell this one, I swear to God!" Brooks added. The legendary US comic and filmmaker is one of the select few entertainers to win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy -- collectively called an EGOT -- across a career spanning eight decades. His latest honour came at the Governors Awards, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which each year honours four industry veterans, many of whom are felt to have not received their dues at the regular Oscars. Also read: Golden Globes 2024: Oppenheimer wins top honours as Barbie gets snubbed Angela Bassett was also honoured on Tuesday at the gala. Bassett had been nominated twice before - once for playing Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It and then for playing Queen Ramonda in the 2022 superhero sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Noting that she was only the second Black actress to earn an honorary Oscar, after Cicely Tyson, Bassett paid tribute to other Black female Hollywood pioneers such as Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for Gone with the Wind in 1940. It would be another half-century until McDaniel was followed by Whoopi Goldberg. "My prayer is that we leave this industry more enriched, forward-thinking and inclusive than we found it," said Bassett. "A future where there won't be a 'first', or an 'only', or suspense around whether 'history will be made' with a nomination or a win." The Governors Awards represent a key chance for this year's Oscars hopefuls to socialise and network with Academy voters on behalf of their latest films. The Academy will announce Oscar nominees on 24 January. Attendees at this year's Governors Awards included Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and Florence Pugh on behalf of Oppenheimer, and Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie for Barbie. Emma Stone -- fresh from her Golden Globes win for Poor Things -- also attended, as did Paul Giamatti from The Holdovers, and Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese on behalf of Killers of the Flower Moon. This year's Governors Awards were delayed due to the Hollywood actors' strike, which prevented stars from working or promoting their movies for months before a deal with studios was clinched in November. The 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10.

Mel Brooks and Angela Bessett receive honorary Oscars at Governors Awards

The Governors Awards -- an annual gala where honorary Oscars are handed out -- became the latest glitzy Hollywood event postponed Wednesday, as fears grow of a surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the Omicron variant.

Actors Samuel L Jackson and Danny Glover, Norway's Liv Ullmann and actress-director Elaine May had been due to receive golden statuettes to honour their careers next month at an event that typically draws a who's who of Tinseltown.

"We have made the difficult decision to change our plans in hosting the Governors Awards in person&nbsp;on January 15," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement.

"Given the uncertainties around the variants and the impact this could have on our community, we feel this is the best and safest decision for our honorees and guests." The Academy said, "rescheduled plans will come at a later date" for this season's Governors Awards. The main Oscars ceremony is still currently set to take place on March 27.

In recent months, Hollywood's annual film award season had kicked off with a return to the usual in-person premieres, galas and receptions. But several events have been scrapped or delayed in just the past few days.

On Wednesday, the starry Critics Choice Awards gala was also postponed from its early January slot. "We are currently working diligently to find a new date during the upcoming awards season in which to host our annual gala in-person with everyone's safety and health remaining our top priority," said the Critics Choice Association in a statement.

Others to delay or cancel included a red-carpet event for the new Star Wars series 'The Book of Boba Fett,'&nbsp;the Palm Springs International Film Festival gala, the annual BAFTA Los Angeles Tea Party and a premiere for Peter Dinklage musical 'Cyrano.'

California currently boasts the lowest positivity rate of any US state at 3.3 per cent, and continues "to lead the nation in terms of administered doses of vaccine," Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

But California has still "seen a significant increase in the number of identified cases of Covid" in the past week, he warned.

Data suggests Omicron has become the main variant for new cases in the state. While A-list film events are disappearing, movie theatres are enjoying a rare spell of positive news, with 'Spider-Man: No Way Home'&nbsp;obliterating box office records.

The superhero film took in $260 million at domestic theatres on its first weekend. No other film opening during the pandemic had previously reached $100 million.

The Governors Awards -- an annual gala where honorary Oscars are handed out -- became the latest glitzy Hollywood event postponed Wednesday, as fears grow of a surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the Omicron variant.

The Governors Awards -- an annual gala where honorary Oscars are handed out -- became the latest glitzy Hollywood event postponed Wednesday, as fears grow of a surge in coronavirus cases fueled by the Omicron variant. Actors Samuel L Jackson and Danny Glover, Norway's Liv Ullmann and actress-director Elaine May had been due to receive golden statuettes to honour their careers next month at an event that typically draws a who's who of Tinseltown. "We have made the difficult decision to change our plans in hosting the Governors Awards in person on January 15," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement. "Given the uncertainties around the variants and the impact this could have on our community, we feel this is the best and safest decision for our honorees and guests." The Academy said, "rescheduled plans will come at a later date" for this season's Governors Awards. The main Oscars ceremony is still currently set to take place on March 27. In recent months, Hollywood's annual film award season had kicked off with a return to the usual in-person premieres, galas and receptions. But several events have been scrapped or delayed in just the past few days. On Wednesday, the starry Critics Choice Awards gala was also postponed from its early January slot. "We are currently working diligently to find a new date during the upcoming awards season in which to host our annual gala in-person with everyone's safety and health remaining our top priority," said the Critics Choice Association in a statement. Others to delay or cancel included a red-carpet event for the new Star Wars series 'The Book of Boba Fett,' the Palm Springs International Film Festival gala, the annual BAFTA Los Angeles Tea Party and a premiere for Peter Dinklage musical 'Cyrano.' California currently boasts the lowest positivity rate of any US state at 3.3 per cent, and continues "to lead the nation in terms of administered doses of vaccine," Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. But California has still "seen a significant increase in the number of identified cases of Covid" in the past week, he warned. Data suggests Omicron has become the main variant for new cases in the state. While A-list film events are disappearing, movie theatres are enjoying a rare spell of positive news, with 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' obliterating box office records. The superhero film took in $260 million at domestic theatres on its first weekend. No other film opening during the pandemic had previously reached $100 million.

Honorary Oscars gala delayed as Hollywood braces for Omicron

Hollywood has not been shy in turning its award shows into a politically-charged spectacle to address the issues at hand. 
 
But at the ninth Governors Awards this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences steered clear of discussing the sexual harassment scandal that continues to rock the industry, according to The Hollywood Reporter. 
 
After multiple allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against media mogul Harvey Weinstein a month ago, newer and more significant names such as James Toback, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, Brett Ratner an Louis C K have joined the list and still counting. 
 
Unlike the explosive Golden Globes, Emmys and Tonys, the awards saw the fraternity bestow honorary Oscars on five legends - Donald Sutherland, Agnes Varda, Charles Burnett, Owen Roizman and Alejandro G Inarritu. 
 
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg echoed the sentiment, &quot;Tonight, we all aspire to reach higher. We all aspire to dream bigger tonight - to be greater.&quot; 
 
If at all, actor-director Angelina Jolie hinted at the current controversy as she introduced Varda on the stage. 
 
&quot;We need to draw strength from artists like Agnes. Those women who went first, who took that first step, showed the way for all of us,&quot; she said. 
 
Hoffman, who was accused of sexual harassment by two women, presented the award Roizman, with whom the veteran actor has worked in Tootsie.&nbsp;

At the ninth Governors Awards this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences steered clear of discussing the sexual harassment scandal.

Hollywood has not been shy in turning its award shows into a politically-charged spectacle to address the issues at hand. But at the ninth Governors Awards this year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences steered clear of discussing the sexual harassment scandal that continues to rock the industry, according to The Hollywood Reporter. After multiple allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against media mogul Harvey Weinstein a month ago, newer and more significant names such as James Toback, Kevin Spacey, Dustin Hoffman, Brett Ratner an Louis C K have joined the list and still counting. Unlike the explosive Golden Globes, Emmys and Tonys, the awards saw the fraternity bestow honorary Oscars on five legends - Donald Sutherland, Agnes Varda, Charles Burnett, Owen Roizman and Alejandro G Inarritu. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg echoed the sentiment, "Tonight, we all aspire to reach higher. We all aspire to dream bigger tonight - to be greater." If at all, actor-director Angelina Jolie hinted at the current controversy as she introduced Varda on the stage. "We need to draw strength from artists like Agnes. Those women who went first, who took that first step, showed the way for all of us," she said. Hoffman, who was accused of sexual harassment by two women, presented the award Roizman, with whom the veteran actor has worked in Tootsie.

Hollywood avoids sex harassment scandals at Governors Awards