Tom Cruise, Dolly Parton to receive honorary Oscars

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By Lisa Richwine

(Reuters) -Action movie star Tom Cruise and singer and actor Dolly Parton are among the luminaries selected to receive honorary Oscars this year for lifetime achievements, Hollywood’s film academy said on Tuesday.

Actor and choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas also were selected for recognition by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

The honorees will receive their Oscar statuettes at the annual Governors Awards gala in November.

Cruise, currently starring in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” was selected for his decades of work in “Risky Business,” two “Top Gun” movies and several other films. He was nominated for best actor twice, for “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire,” as well as best supporting actor for “Magnolia.” “Tom Cruise’s incredible commitment to our filmmaking community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community has inspired us all,” Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement.

Parton, a country music singer and star of movies including “Steel Magnolias” and “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable efforts. Parton’s Imagination Library has provided more than 284 million free books to children over 30 years, according to the organization’s website. She received two Oscar nominations for best song, for the films “9 to 5” and “Transamerica.”

Allen, an actor in movies such as “Fame” and “Ragtime,” choreographed the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and several films.

Production designer Thomas worked on several Spike Lee Films including “She’s Gotta Have It” and “Do the Right Thing,” as well as best picture winner “A Beautiful Mind.”

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Mark Porter)