American actor Samuel L. Jackson received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement on Friday. At 73, the African-American actor, who has distinguished himself in films by Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing) and Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Django Unchained) as well as a recurring character in numerous Marvel films, had so far only earned one Oscar nomination for Pulp Fiction. He was presented with a lifetime achievement statuette two days before the Oscars.
“One hundred fifty-two movie titles, $27 billion in revenue, more than any other actor in history”, summarized Denzel Washington, presenting the award to Samuel L. Jackson. The actor, seated next to Quentin Tarantino in the room, took the stage to discuss his career, including his roles in Jurassic Park and A day in hell. “It was a real pleasure to leave an indelible memory with the public as “member of gang number two”, “robber” and “Unforgettable Black”, to name but a few”he joked.
Danny Glover, Liv Ullmann and Elaine May celebrated
During this ceremony, the Norwegian star Liv Ullmann, internationally recognized by her role in Person by Ingmar Bergman in 1967, before playing in several other films by the Swedish director with whom she had a daughter, also received an Oscar. Elaine May, 89, who had been nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay of Heaven can wait and Primary Colors, was the third person honored. These honorary Oscars are given each year to reward the work of a lifetime.
Danny Glover, 75, noticed in The Color Purple by Steven Spielberg, then alongside Mel Gibson in the saga The lethal Weapon, was honored for his political activism. Alongside his acting career, he has campaigned for causes ranging from the civil rights movement in the United States to the end of apartheid in South Africa. He thus received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Prize, an Oscar awarded irregularly by the Academy to reward an individual “whose humanitarian action has brought honor to the film industry”.