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Cicely Tyson, 'Star Wars' producer Kathleen Kennedy will receive honorary Oscars

The awards will be presented at the 10th annual Governors Awards on Nov. 18.
Credit: The Associated Press
Producers Kathleen Kennedy (from left) and Frank Marshall, composer Lalo Schifrin and actress Cicely Tyson will be honored, along with publicist Martin Levy, at the film academy's Governors Awards on Nov. 18.

African-American acting legend Cicely Tyson, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, Argentinian composer Lalo Schifrin and publicist Marvin Levy will receive honorary Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

The awards will be presented at the 10th annual Governors Awards on Nov. 18.

“Choosing the honorees for its awards each year is the happiest of all the Board of Governors’ work. And this year, its selection of five iconic artists was made with universal acclaim by the Academy’s 54 spirited governors,” Academy president John Bailey said in a statement.

Tyson, 93, was born in Harlem and began her career as a model and a theater actress, appearing both on and off-Broadway.

After small roles in film and television, she was cast as Portia in 1968's “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter.” Four years later, she received an Oscar nomination for her leading performance in “Sounder.” Her other notable film credits include “The River Niger,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” “Diary of A Mad Black Woman,” “The Help,” “Alex Cross” and “Last Flag Flying.”

Producing partners Kennedy and Marshall will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. The duo co-founded Amblin Productions with Steven Spielberg, sharing a best picture nomination for “The Color Purple.”

Additionally, Marshall received a pest picture nomination for “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” while Kennedy was nominated in the same category for “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” “War Horse” and “Lincoln.”

Kennedy became president of Lucasfilm in 2012, which produces the "Star Wars" saga. She is the first woman to receive the Thalberg Award.

Levy's work on 1977's “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” marked the beginning of a four-decade partnership with Spielberg. He is the first publicist to receive an honorary Oscar.

Schifrin has written scores for more than 100 films, including “The Cincinnati Kid,” “Bullitt,” “Dirty Harry,” “Enter the Dragon” and the memorable theme for the television series “Mission: Impossible,” which has been a hallmark of the recent film series. He has received six Oscar nominations.

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