David Lynch, Geena Davis among winners of 2019 honorary Oscars

Director Lynch and actress Davis join actor Wes Studi and director Lina Wertmüller in receiving this year’s honorary Governors Awards

The awards are to be presented at the Governors Awards ceremony on October 27

2-MIN READ2-MIN

Since making his feature debut with 1977’s Eraserhead, honorary Oscar winner David Lynch has established himself as one of cinema’s most idiosyncratic and influential directors, but has never won a competitive Oscar.

Published: 4:00pm, 4 Jun 2019Updated: 4:00pm, 4 Jun 2019

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that it will present its annual honorary Governors Awards to director David Lynch, actor Wes Studi and director Lina Wertmüller, while actress Geena Davis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The Governors Awards, which were once a part of the Oscar telecast and are now handed out in a separate ceremony, are given “to honour extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.” The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is presented “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry”.

Davis, who won an Oscar for her supporting performance in The Accidental Tourist and has starred in such films as Thelma & Louise, The Fly and A League of Their Own, is the founder and chair of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which is dedicated to eliminating gender bias and stereotypes in entertainment and boosting roles for women. In 2015, she launched the Bentonville Film Festival to support women and diversity in the entertainment industry.

Since making his feature debut with 1977’s Eraserhead, Lynch has established himself as one of cinema’s most idiosyncratic and influential directors. His 1980 drama The Elephant Man earned eight Academy Award nominations, including directing and adapted screenplay for Lynch along with best picture. He received additional directing nods for his 1986 film Blue Velvet and 2001’s Mulholland Drive, yet he has never won a competitive Oscar.

Actor Wes Studi has appeared in such films as Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans and Heat. Photo: AP

Studi, an Oklahoma-born Cherokee American, is known for his portrayals of strong Native American characters. Since breaking out in 1990’s Dances With Wolves and appearing as the fierce Huron warrior Magua in 1992’s Last of the Mohicans, he has earned acclaim for his work in the movies Geronimo: An American Legend, Heat, The New World, Avatar and Hostiles.