Academy to Award Glenn Close Honorary Oscar Sunday

Glenn Close and Ridley Scott will receive honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards, a ceremony held separately from the Academy Awards.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Awards

The Academy will present Glenn Close and Ridley Scott with honorary Oscars at the Governors Awards on Sunday, a ceremony held apart from the Academy Awards. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present Glenn Close with an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards on Sunday. Ridley Scott is also set to receive an honorary Oscar at the ceremony, but he is not attending and will accept via recorded video.

Why it matters

Glenn Close has been nominated for eight Academy Awards without winning, tying Peter O'Toole for the most nominations for an actor without a win. The honors recognize long careers, with the Governors Awards chosen by a selection committee rather than the full Academy.

Glenn Close has received eight Academy Award nominations without a win, tying Peter O'Toole for the most for an actor. Ridley Scott, 88, has four nominations without a win and will accept his honorary Oscar by recorded video.

The players

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Hollywood organization that presents the Academy Awards and the Governors Awards, honoring achievements across the film industry.

Glenn Close

An actress with three Emmy wins and three Tony wins whose eight Academy Award nominations without a win tie her with Peter O'Toole.

Ridley Scott

A director and producer who has received four Academy Award nominations without a win and is not attending the ceremony.

The details

The Governors Awards ceremony will be held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles. Floyd Norman, 91, is also being honored and became the first Black animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1956.

Glenn Close received her first Academy Award nomination in 1983 for The World According to Garp.
Floyd Norman began his career at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1956.
Killer Films was co-founded in 1995 by Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler.
The Governors Awards began holding a separate ceremony from the Academy Awards in 2009.
Glenn Close will receive her honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards on Sunday.

Awards Lineage

The Governors Awards have been held as a separate ceremony since 2009, giving the Academy a venue to honor career achievement apart from competitive categories. Honorees this year, including Glenn Close and Ridley Scott, continue a pattern of recognizing nominees who have long gone without winning.

Viewers interested in the honorees can watch the ceremony when it is broadcast or streamed, though the extraction does not specify the platform. Because Ridley Scott will accept by recorded video, his remarks will be presented rather than delivered in person.

The takeaway

Long careers and near-misses at the Oscars can still earn recognition, and the Governors Awards offer a dedicated path for that honor. Following the ceremony's coverage will show how the Academy continues to balance competitive and career awards.

What happens next

The Governors Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, where Glenn Close will receive her honorary Oscar.