It may only be the middle of June, but Oscar season planning is in full effect. The Academy Museum recently revealed its honorees for the next Academy Museum Gala and today, The Academy announced the recipients of honorary Oscars at the 2024 Governors Awards. In so doing, the AMPAS Board of Trustees voted to designate Honorary Academy Awards to Quincy Jones and Juliet Taylor, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Richard Curtis, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.  
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One of the most prolific musicians in the latter half of the 20th Century, Jones’ film credits include “In the Heat of the Night” and he has earned a total of seven Oscar nominations for his work on such films as “In Cold Blood,” “The Wiz,” and “The Color Purple.” He also earned a Best Picture nomination for the latter.  In 1967, Jones was the first Black composer to be nominated in the Original Song category. Over his career, Jones has won 28 Grammy Awards (currently third all-time), won an Emmy Award for his score of “Roots,” is a Tony Award winner for Best Revival of A Musical (“The Color Purple”), is a Kennedy Center Honoree, received the National Medal of Arts, and numerous honorary degrees.
Taylor is a prolific casting director whose career spans 50 years. Her credits include “Taxi Driver,” “Annie Hall,” “Big,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “Schindler’s List,” “Interview with the Vampire,” “Angela’s Ashes,” “Midnight in Paris,” “The Grifters,” “Working Girl,” and “Dangerous Liaisons.”  She has worked with directors including James L. Brooks, Nora Ephron, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, among others.
Producers Wilson and Broccoli have spearheaded EON Productions and the legendary James Bond franchise for decades including the most recent Daniel Craig era which encompasses “Casino Royale,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Skyfall,” “Spectre,” and “No Time to Die.”  They also have many independent films to their credit including “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” “Nancy,” “The Rhythm Section,” “Till,” and “The Accidental Getaway Driver.”  In receiving this honor, Broccoli shockingly becomes just the second woman to earn an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
A writer and director whose work embodies the almost trademarked British Romantic Comedy genre, Richard Curtis’ credits include “Notting Hill,” “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” “Love Actually,” and “About Time.” He also landed an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”  His biggest contribution to society, however, is as the co-founder of Comic Relief UK and USA. According to a release from The Academy, his fundraising work over the past four decades has helped raise more than $2 billion and supported over 170 million people.  In 2005, he co-created Make Poverty History and helped produce the Live 8 concerts.  Most recently, he co-founded the group Project Everyone, giving practical support to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and established the ethical investment campaign Make My Money Matter, which has helped transfer £1.3 trillion into sustainable pensions.
In a statement, Academy President Janet Yang remarked, “The recipients of this year’s Governors Awards have set the bar incredibly high across their remarkable careers, and the Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to recognize them with Oscars. The selection of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli is a testament to their success as producers of the fan-favorite Bond series and their contribution to the industry’s theatrical landscape.  Richard Curtis is a brilliant comedic storyteller whose tremendous charitable efforts embody the meaning of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.  Quincy Jones’s artistic genius and relentless creativity have made him one of the most influential musical figures of all time.  Juliet Taylor has cast iconic and beloved films and paved a new path for the field.  Their profound love of cinema and indelible contribution to our art form make these five individuals truly deserving of these honors.”
The recipients will be feted at the Academy’s Governors Awards event on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood.