Tom Cruise and Dolly Parton will receive honorary Oscars ahead of the 2026 Academy Awards, organisers have said, marking career firsts for the showbusiness legends.
Cruise was selected to receive a statuette for his contributions to cinema, along with choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas.
Parton will also be awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her decades-long humanitarian work, with the trophies presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 16th Governors Awards event in November.
Cruise, 62, has had four Oscar nominations but has never won the prestigious prize, despite achieving global fame for his roles in the action franchises Mission: Impossible and Top Gun.
"Tom Cruise's incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a statement.
It praised him as "one of the most recognised and highest-grossing actors of all time" and noted his commitment to performing all of his own stunts.
Parton, 79, has twice been nominated for Oscars in the Original Song category, for Travellin' Thru from the road movie Transamerica and for Nine to Five from the comedy 9 to 5.
Fame star Allen, 75, was recognised for her five-decade career that has included choreographing the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and working on films including the 1995 rom-com Forget Paris.
Thomas was saluted for his production work on films such as Malcolm X and Do the Right Thing.
Source: AFP
