Honorees announced for pre-Oscar Governors Awards

Performers Danny Glover, Samuel L. Jackson and Liv Ullmann, along with writer/director/actress Elaine May will be honored Friday evening when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has its 12th Governors Awards.

The scaled-back event — originally scheduled for Jan. 15 but postponed because of the COVID-19 surge — will take place at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland. The original ceremony had been set for the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel in Century City.

Glover will receive the Academy’s Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while Jackson, Ullmann and May will receive honorary Oscars.

The Hersholt Award going to Glover honors “an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

The honorary Oscars recognize “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

Highlights from the event will be incorporated into Sunday’s Academy Awards show.

Glover is best known for roles in films including “The Color Purple,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Dreamgirls” and “To Sleep With Anger.” He serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has been a longtime activist for economic, health and education equality in the United States and Africa.

Jackson’s resume includes appearances in an array of “Avengers” and other Marvel films, along with classics including “Pulp Fiction,” “Shaft,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” “True Romance,” “Jurassic Park” and “Do The Right Thing,” along with appearances in the recent “Star Wars” franchise.

Ullmann began working on stage in Norway and enjoyed a multi-film collaboration with famed director Ingmar Bergman, including appearances in “Persona,” “The Passion of Anna” and “Cries and Whispers.” She was nominated for best-actress Oscars in the 1970s for “The Emigrants” and “Face to Face.”

May wrote, directed and starred in “A New Leaf,” and directed the films “Mikey and Nicky,” “Ishtar” and “The Heartbreak Kid.” As a screenwriter, she penned “The Birdcage” and received Oscar nominations for her adapted screenplays for “Heaven Can Wait” in 1978 and “Primary Colors” in 1998.