Entertainment
Alejandro G. Iñárritu Presents Honorary Oscar to Cruise
Hollywood legend Tom Cruise has finally achieved a long-awaited milestone: his first-ever Oscar statuette. The Academy Honorary Award was presented to the 63-year-old superstar during the 16th Governors Awards, produced by Jennifer Fox and held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood on November 16, 2025.
Cruise was honoured alongside Dolly Parton, Debbie Allen, and Wynn Thomas, making the night a major celebration of artistic and humanitarian contributions to the film industry.
Cruise, known globally for Top Gun, Mission: Impossible, Jerry Maguire, and more, received a minutes-long standing ovation from an audience packed with industry giants such as Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jerry Bruckheimer. Jennifer Lawrence, Michael B. Jordan, Sydney Sweeney, Dwayne Johnson, and Emma Stone.
Cruise's award was presented by acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu, who is directing the actor in an upcoming untitled film scheduled for October 2026.
The Academy Board of Governors selected Cruise in recognition of his "incredible commitment to the filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunt community.
Tom Cruise's Emotional Speech on the Power of Cinema
The Mission Impossible actor delivered a powerful and reflective acceptance speech, expressing how cinema shaped his life and identity:
"Making films is not what I do, it is who i am."
He spoke about cinema's unmatched ability to unite people:
"The cinema takes me around the world and it helps me to appreciate and respect differences, it also shows me our shared humanity, how alike we are in so many ways. No matter where we come from, in that theater, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, we dream together."
Cruise described his earliest memories as a child in a dark cinema, mesmerised by a "beam of light" that opened up worlds for him to the cultures and dreams beyond his imagination. This, he said, sparked his lifelong "hunger for adventure, knowledge, and storytelling."
He ended with a promise to continue supporting cinema, "hopefully without too many broken bones."
Cruise's Oscar History: Four Prior Nominations
While this is Cruise's first Oscar win, he has been nominated four times before in the following categories:
- Best Actor - Born on the Fourth of July
- Best Actor - Jerry Maguire
- Best Supporting Actor - Magnolia
- Best Picture nominee as producer - Top Gun: Maverick
Other remarkable honorees that received heartfelt tribute: Dolly Parton, Debbie Allen, and Wynn Thomas
Veteran choreographer and actor Debbie Allen and acclaimed production designer Wynn Thomas also received Honorary Oscars at the 16th Governors Awards, joined by music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who was honoured with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Allen was presented with her statuette by Cynthia Evrio, recognising her decades of impact on dance, performance, and storytelling across film and television. Thomas, celebrated for his extensive visual world-building in cinema, accepted his Honorary Oscar for a lifetime of influential work shaping the craft of production design.
Dolly Parton, unable to attend due to health concerns, delivered a heartfelt pre-recorded message, reflecting on her philanthropic contributions that earned her the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Their recognitions added depth to the evening dedicated to recognising art.
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