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LOS ANGELES – “Black Panther” actress Angela Bassett, “ET the Extra-Terrestrial” film editor Carol Littleton and comedy legend Mel Brooks were awarded honorary Oscars at the 14th Governors Awards on Tuesday night.
The star-studded gala, hosted by Oscar organizers the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also saw the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (most recently presented to actor and Parkinson's advocate Michael J. Fox) go to Michelle Satter , the influential founder and longtime personality, awarded Head of Artist Programs at the Sundance Institute.
The non-televised, private dinner event was originally scheduled for November 18, but was postponed until 2024 due to the Hollywood strikes.
The event, which kicked off awards season, was attended by nominees such as Robert Downey Jr., Leonardo DiCaprio, Emma Stone, Christopher Nolan, Paul Giamatti, Margot Robbie and Bradley Cooper.
Here's what happened at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, just steps from the Dolby Theater, where the 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10.
Mel Brooks promises not to sell this Oscar: “I swear to God!”
“Blazing Saddles” and “Young Frankenstein” director Brooks, 97, was joined on stage by Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, who starred in the hit 2001 Broadway production of Brooks' musical “The Producers.” Broderick called Brooks “a comedic genius and an incomparable legend” and added that Brooks “always prioritized humor” in all of his works.
The EGOT winner Brooks had already won an Oscar for best screenwriter in 1969 for “The Producers”. That was 55 years ago.
“I miss it so much,” Brooks joked about the award. “I never should have sold it.”
Brooks, who was accompanied at the awards ceremony by his author son Max Brooks (from his marriage to his late wife, actress Anne Bancroft), said he was touched by the honor.
“When your colleagues appreciate your work and greet you with that gold statue, it really means a lot,” Brooks said. “It is great.”
“I won’t sell this. I swear to God,” Brooks added before exiting the stage with a laugh.
Angela Bassett thanks you and promises: “The best is yet to come”
Oscar winner Regina King introduced “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” star Bassett, 65, who is famous for her role as Tina Turner in 1993's “What's Love Got to Do With It” and for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was nominated for an Oscar in 2023. “
“With all this experience, why don’t you run for president,” King said of Bassett’s film and television resume of more than 100 roles. “Angela has had a career forever and I swear she’s timeless.”
While husband and actor Courtney B. Vance stood in the audience filming on his iPhone, Bassett accepted the honor with an inspiring speech paying respect to Black actresses of the past and those yet to come.
“I thought for a long time about what I was going to say tonight,” Bassett said. “This is not just another award. It is a testament to my legacy. This trophy represents my contribution to this medium of film, everything I have given with my mind, body and soul as an actress and, yes, as a black woman.”
Bassett quoted poet Maya Angelou as saying, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
The Waiting to Exhale star told the audience that it was a “huge honor to have someone see and feel her throughout her career.”
“Still, I say,” Bassett added with a smile. “The best is yet to come.”
Carol Littleton thanks her late husband and cinematographer John Bailey
Littleton is the wife of the late cinematographer and former academy president John Bailey, who died in November at age 81. The two worked together on director Lawrence Kasdan's 1983 drama The Big Chill. Littleton received her only Oscar nomination for Steven Spielberg's “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial.”
“I accept this wonderful Oscar as the highlight of my film life. I accept it for all editors who toil in the darkness of an editing room,” Littleton said before speaking about her late husband. “Above all, I would like to thank John. My dear John.”
Michelle Satter dedicates the award to her murdered son Michael Latt
Directors Ryan Coogler and Chloé Zhao, who owe much of their film success to Sundance Mentor Labs, presented Satter with her humanitarian award. “We have to talk about someone we love very much, and we have to talk with heartbreak,” Coogler said.
Satter's son Michael Latt, a well-known entertainment marketing consultant who worked with Coogler, was shot to death at his Los Angeles home in November.
“Michelle, you changed our lives, but I think Michael was your greatest gift to the world,” Coogler said.
At the end of her speech, Satter tearfully acknowledged the loss of her son in the “tragic act of violence.”
“Tonight I share this honor with Michael,” said Satter.