Ridley Scott to Accept 2026 Governors Award Remotely

By Amara Osei

The 2026 Governors Awards on Nov. 15 will honor five people, and Ridley Scott will accept from afar after a minor medical procedure last week, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

Scott, 88, “underwent a minor medical procedure last week and has been advised not to fly.” He reportedly pre-taped his acceptance speech last week, and the Academy will play it during the ceremony. His family was still flying from London to attend the celebration. The report did not specify the procedure or give a recovery timeline.

This will mark the second consecutive Governors Awards with an absentee honoree. Dolly Parton withdrew from the previous year’s event because of health concerns and accepted her statuette from her Nashville home. The announcement also records that Parton died on Aug. 5 following a brief battle with cancer.

Who are the five people receiving 2026 Governors Awards honors?

On Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 2026 recipients. The 17th Governors Awards ceremony will take place Nov. 15 at the Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood.

Glenn Close will receive an Honorary Oscar. The eight-time nominee’s five-decade career includes:

• Nominations for The World According to Garp, The Big Chill, The Natural, Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, Albert Nobbs, The Wife and Hillbilly Elegy.

According to the announcement, the honorary Oscar is not technically competitive and will not count toward Close’s EGOT. It will still be an Oscar statuette, joining three Emmys, three Tonys, three Golden Globes and two Actor Awards already in her collection.

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

Sir Ridley Scott will also receive an honorary Oscar. His four Academy nominations comprise:

• Best Director for Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down.
• Best Picture for The Martian.

Floyd Norman is the third honorary Oscar recipient. Hired in 1956, the pioneering artist became Walt Disney Animation’s first Black animator. His credits include:

• Sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Robin Hood, Mulan, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.

Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor said in a statement:

“The Academy’s Board of Governors is thrilled to present this year’s Governors Awards to five remarkable individuals whose groundbreaking work has forever shaped the art of filmmaking,”

“Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close’s unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema. Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career.”

“Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture. Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler play a central role in American independent cinema, championing bold, ambitious and distinctive storytelling.”

What does Scott’s remote appearance change for the Oscars race?

Nothing in the announcement changes a competitive Oscar category or nomination field. The change is ceremonial: Scott’s acceptance will play as prerecorded video rather than an in-person speech, while his family attends the celebration. For Close, the Academy says the honorary statuette remains outside the competitive count and does not advance her EGOT. No new eligibility rule accompanies Scott’s remote presentation.

Who receives the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award?

Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will receive the Academy’s highest honor for producers, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. They founded the New York-based independent production company Killer Films in 1995, and their work earned a 2024 Best Picture nomination for Past Lives.

Their producing credits include:

• Hedwig and the Angry Inch, One Hour Photo, Camp, The Company and Materialists.

Killer Films’ own production credits include:

• Velvet Goldmine, Happiness, Boys Don’t Cry, Far From Heaven, I’m Not There, Still Alice, Carol, First Reformed, Vox Lux, The World to Come, Zola and A Different Man.