THE ACADEMY TO HONOR GLENN CLOSE, FLOYD NORMAN, RIDLEY SCOTT AND CHRISTINE VACHON & PAMELA KOFFLER AT THE 2026 GOVERNORS AWARDS
Oscar® statuettes to be presented to these honorees on November 15
in partnership with Rolex
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that its Board of Governors voted to present Academy Honorary Awards to actor Glenn Close, animator Floyd Norman and director Ridley Scott, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler. The Oscar® statuettes will be presented at the Academy’s 17th Governors Awards event on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, in partnership with Rolex.
“The Academy's Board of Governors is thrilled to present this year's Governors Awards to five remarkable individuals whose groundbreaking work has forever shaped the art of filmmaking,” said Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor. “Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close's unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema. Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career. Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture. Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler play a central role in American independent cinema, championing bold, ambitious and distinctive storytelling.”
Close’s acting career spans over five decades, with more than 100 film credits. She has earned eight Oscar nominations, beginning with her feature film debut in “The World According to Garp” and has received further nominations for “The Big Chill,” “The Natural,” “Fatal Attraction,” “Dangerous Liaisons,” “Albert Nobbs,” “The Wife” and “Hillbilly Elegy.” Her other film credits include “Jagged Edge,” “Reversal of Fortune,” “Hamlet,” “101 Dalmatians,” “102 Dalmatians,” “Mars Attacks!,” “Air Force One,” “The Stepford Wives,” “The Girl with All the Gifts,” “Four Good Days,” and “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”
An animator and storyboard artist, Norman began his esteemed 65-year career at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1956, becoming the studio’s first Black animator. His first Disney feature film was “Sleeping Beauty,” and he contributed to such classic feature films as “The Sword in the Stone,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book” and “Robin Hood,” as well as the short films “Donald in Mathmagic Land,” “Goliath II” and “Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree.” Norman’s other notable film credits include “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” “Mulan,” “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters, Inc.”
Scott has received Oscar nominations for directing "Thelma & Louise," "Gladiator" and "Black Hawk Down," as well as a Best Picture nomination for "The Martian." Across a career spanning nearly six decades, he has also directed such films as "Alien," "Blade Runner," "Legend," "Black Rain," "G.I. Jane," "Kingdom of Heaven," "American Gangster," "Prometheus," "All the Money in the World," "House of Gucci," "The Last Duel," "Napoleon" and the upcoming feature "The Dog Stars." In 2024, Scott was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the British film industry.
Vachon and Koffler founded the New York-based independent production company Killer Films in 1995. Together, they have produced such films as “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “One Hour Photo,” “Camp”, “The Company,” “The Notorious Bettie Page,” “May December” and “Materialists.” Vachon and Koffler earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture for “Past Lives” in 2024. Their productions at Killer Films also include “Safe,” “Velvet Goldmine,” “Happiness,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Far from Heaven,” “I’m Not There,” “Still Alice,” “Carol,” “First Reformed,” “Vox Lux,” “The World to Come,” “Zola” and “A Different Man.”
The Honorary Award is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”
The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award is presented to a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.
The 17th Governors Awards are presented in partnership with Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rolex is supporting the Governors Awards through its partnership with the Academy, reflecting its ongoing commitment to fostering excellence, achievement and the transfer of cinematic knowledge to the next generation.
###
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's premier film organization and is home to a global membership of more than 11,000 of the most accomplished film industry artists and leaders. The Academy connects global audiences – its members, the film industry, and film fans – through their shared passion for making and watching films. The Academy does this by recognizing and celebrating the arts and sciences of moviemaking through renowned awards for cinematic achievement, including the Oscars®, the Governors Awards, and the Scientific and Technical Awards. The Academy’s affiliated charitable organization, the Academy Foundation, serves a public benefit through its robust educational, preservation and cultural activities. This includes the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the world's largest global film museum, the Academy Collection, the largest film-related collection in the world, and talent development programs for emerging artists. Year-round, the Academy creates opportunities for all communities to engage with the film world.
ABOUT ROLEX AND CINEMA
Rolex celebrates human achievement as a journey marked by milestones, emotions and defining moments. For more than half a century, the brand has partnered some of the world’s most talented artists and leading cultural institutions to promote excellence and the transmission of artistic heritage, creating a link between the past, present and future.
Through the Perpetual Arts Initiative, a broad portfolio of arts that extends through architecture, cinema, dance, music, literature, theatre and visual arts, the brand confirms its long-term commitment to global culture. The company has had close ties with the film industry for decades, its watches playing a role in numerous films, including Oscar®-winning masterpieces. Since 2017, Rolex has supported the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, serving as Proud Sponsor of the Oscars®, hosting the event’s Greenroom, as well as supporting the Governors Awards, which recognize lifetime achievement and humanitarian efforts in the film industry. Rolex also sponsors Film at Lincoln Center as Official Partner and Exclusive Timepiece. The company promotes achievement through Testimonees such as James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Zendaya and Jia Zhang-Ke. It also assists in the preservation of film history for future generations as a Founding Supporter of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, as a partner of The Film Foundation and through its support to the National Film and Television School in the UK.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ROLEX AND CINEMA, GO TO
https://newsroom.rolex.com/world-of-rolex/perpetuating-arts-and-culture/rolex-and-cinema/rolex-and-cinema-2026
FOLLOW THE ACADEMY
www.oscars.org
www.facebook.com/TheAcademy
www.youtube.com/Oscars
www.instagram.com/TheAcademy
www.threads.net/@theacademy
www.tiktok.com/@Oscars
www.x.com/TheAcademy