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US actor Tom Cruise has received an honorary Oscar, the first golden statue of his decades-long career, to a standing ovation from Hollywood’s elite.
To the sound of the Mission Impossible theme tune, a hallmark of the 63-year-old actor’s career, Cruise took to the stage at the Dolby Theatre inLos Angeles at the weekend to applause from peers including Colin Farrell and Emilio Estevez, with whom he has shared the screen, and the renowned Steven Spielberg, who directed him in Minority Report and War of the Worlds.
Cruise, a four-time Oscar nominee, has never won the award and spoke of his love for cinema in a heartfelt speech.
He praised the big screen as a place that sparks “a hunger for adventure, a hunger for knowledge, a hunger to understand humanity, to create characters, to tell a story, to see the world”.
The honorary Oscars, awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, celebrate cinema legends for their careers and contributions to the film industry.
Cruise’s award was presented by Mexican film-maker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who directed him in the upcoming film Judy.
“Writing a four-minute speech to celebrate Tom Cruise’s 45-year career is what is known, in this town, as a mission impossible,” Inarritu joked.
“Tonight, we celebrate. We celebrate not just a filmography, we celebrate a lifetime of work,” Inarritu said, adding that working with Cruise, he saw the actor perform his most dangerous stunt yet: “This man ate more chili than any Mexican.”
The Academy also presented honorary Oscars at the weekend to actor Debbie Allen, who starred in Fame; production designer Wynn Thomas; and country singer Dolly Parton, who was honoured for her humanitarian work.
