Hollywood star Tom Cruise, after four Academy Award nominations, wins an honorary Oscar. The award recognizes his "unwavering commitment to the filmmaking community," his "vital support of the theatrical experience," and his "unmatched body of work."
Along with Cruise, other honorary Oscar recipients are actor-choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas. Dolly Parton received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her philanthropy work.
With this award, Tom Cruise joins the league of eminent talents such as Charlie Chaplin, Akira Kurosawa, Peter O'Toole, Spike Lee, Jackie Chan, and Samuel L. Jackson to have been honoured under this category since the institution of the Awards.
During his acceptance speech, Cruise renewed his commitment to cinema, saying that he will champion new voices and do whatever he can to inspire the “next kid”.
On the work front, Cruise was last seen in the swansong to the Mission: Impossible franchise, Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. He next has an untitled film with Alejandro G Inarritu, which he is also producing.