AMPAS: Oprah Gets Humanitarian Award

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James Earl Jones, Dick Smith and Oprah Winfrey To Receive Academy's Governors Awards

Beverly Hills, CA '" The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted tonight (Aug. 2) to present Honorary Awards to actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to philanthropist Oprah Winfrey. All three awards will be presented at the Academy's 3rd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 12, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.
Born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, Jones made his film debut in 1964 in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb." In 1970, he earned an Academy Award® nomination for his role as boxer Jack Jefferson in "The Great White Hope." Jones has appeared in more than 50 feature films including "Claudine," "Conan the Barbarian," "Field of Dreams," "Coming to America" and, as Vice Admiral James Greer, "The Hunt for Red October," "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger."
Additionally, Jones has also voiced some of the most iconic characters in motion pictures including Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy and Mustafa in "The Lion King."
Known as the "godfather of makeup," Smith began his career in 1945 as NBC's first makeup man. He is known for his makeup artistry on such films as "The Godfather," "The Exorcist" and "Taxi Driver." In 1984 he won an Oscar® for his work on "Amadeus," and received a nomination for "Dad" (1989). As an educator, Smith helped train many of today's Academy Award-winning and nominated makeup artists including Rick Baker, Greg Cannom, Kevin Haney, Kazuhiro Tsuji, Mike Elizalde and Carl Fullerton.
Since receiving her Oscar nomination for her debut film performance in "The Color Purple," actress, television host and producer Winfrey has gone on to establish herself as one of the most influential figures in entertainment and philanthropy. She has been especially dedicated to supporting educational initiatives and raising awareness of issues that affect women and children, both in the United States and around the globe. Her philanthropic efforts have included Oprah's Angel Network, the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which opened in South Africa in 2007.
The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual for "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, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry. The Governors Awards presentation will be produced for the Academy by writer-director Phil Robinson with Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare of Don Mischer Productions.

TOM SHERAK RE-ELECTED ACADEMY PRESIDENT

Beverly Hills, CA '" Tom Sherak was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tonight (August 2) by the organization's Board of Governors. This will be his third consecutive one-year term in the office. Sherak is beginning his ninth year as a governor representing the Executives Branch. He had previously also served as treasurer for the Academy. In addition, Producers Branch governor Hawk Koch was elected first vice president; Executives Branch governor Robert Rehme was elected to one vice president post and Writers Branch governor Phil Robinson was re-elected to the other vice president post; Short Films and Feature Animation Branch governor John Lasseter was elected treasurer; and Actors Branch governor Annette Bening was re-elected secretary.
Sherak, a marketing, distribution and production executive with more than four decades of experience in the motion picture industry, is currently a consultant for Skydance Productions and Relativity Media. Previously, Sherak was a partner at Revolution Studios where he oversaw the release of more than 30 films including "Black Hawk Down," "Anger Management," "Rent," and "Across the Universe." Prior to joining Revolution, Sherak was chairman of Twentieth Century Fox Domestic Film Group and served as senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment. Previously, he held various positions at Fox, including senior executive vice president, where he oversaw the distribution and post-production of "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Speed," and "Independence Day," among others. In 1990 Sherak was named executive vice president of Twentieth Century Fox.
Prior to that he was president of domestic distribution and marketing for Fox, where he launched such films as "Romancing the Stone," " Aliens," "Wall Street," "Die Hard" and "Working Girl." He began his career in the industry at Paramount Pictures in 1970.
Academy board members serve three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive terms in any one office.

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