At the age of 97, American director Mel Brooks accepted an honorary Oscar for his entire body of work on Tuesday, more than half a century after he won his only Oscar for the film The producers, in which he ridiculed Hitler.
• Also read: Baby Yoda is getting his own Star Wars movie
• Also read: Lily Gladstone's Golden Globes win: “A model for indigenous communities”
During a gala evening, Mel Brooks, who has denounced racial bigotry in other films such as “In the Sheriff's Jail,” joked that he was remorseful about the fate of his previous Oscar for best original screenplay.
“I really miss him. I never should have sold it,” he said. “I won't sell this, I swear to God,” he said.
AFP
Mel Brooks has become a master of Hollywood comedy cinema by cultivating bad taste above all else. He is one of the few who have won the biggest awards in the American entertainment industry.
He received his honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which each year honors four beloved industry veterans, many of whom did not receive awards at the regular Oscar ceremonies.
Two-time Oscar nominee Angela Bassett, 64, known for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic “What's Love Got to Do With It” and Queen Ramonda in the 2022 superhero film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” also received an honorary Oscar.
AFP
The versatile actress has also starred in action films like “The Fall of the White House” and “Mission: Impossible: Fallout,” as well as the horror series “American Horror Story,” and even lent her voice to Michelle Obama in “The Simpsons.”
Angela Bassett noted that she was only the second black actress, after Cicely Tyson, to win an honorary Oscar, and paid tribute to other black Hollywood pioneers such as Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar in 1940 for “Gone With the Wind.”
Getty Images via AFP
It would be another half century before McDaniel was followed by actress Whoopi Goldberg.
“My wish is that we leave this industry richer, more forward-thinking and more inclusive than we found it,” said Angela Bassett.