James Earl Jones and Oprah Winfrey to Receive Honorary Oscars

Stage and screen legend James Earl Jones, TV titan Oprah Winfrey and makeup artist Dick Smith will receive honorary Oscars, to be presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards dinner on November 12. Jones and Smith will receive Oscars honoring their career achievements, and Winfrey will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her philanthropic and humanitarian work.

Jones, who is heading to London to reprise his starring role in the 2010 Broadway revival of Driving Miss Daisy, has appeared in more than 50 movies, notably as the voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1971 for the movie adaptation of The Great White Hope, a play that earned him his first Best Actor Tony Award in 1969. The 80-year-old actor received a second Tony for Fences and was nominated for a Tony for the revival of On Golden Pond.

Winfrey, who was a producer of the Broadway musical The Color Purple, received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for playing Sofia in the 1985 film version of Alice Walker’s novel. Her award recognizes her work for charitable and educational causes, including founding a school for girls in South Africa.

Smith, the makeup artist on The Godfather, received an Oscar in 1984 for Amadeus and was nominated in 1989 for Dad. He is credited with training many current film makeup artists.