Bacall, Corman, Willis to receive honorary Oscars; producer Calley to receive Thalberg award

Bacall, Corman, Willis to get honorary Oscars

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Actress Lauren Bacall, producer-director Roger Corman and cinematographer Gordon Willis are the first Oscar winners of the season.

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday that the three will receive honorary Oscar statuettes.

Bacall made her screen debut with Humphrey Bogart in “To Have and Have Not” in 1944. She went on to star in more than 30 films, including such classics as “The Big Sleep” and “Key Largo.” Corman has directed more than 50 films and produced more than 300 during his five-decade career, including “It Conquered the World” and “The Little Shop of Horrors (1960). Willis is a two-time Academy Award nominee for “Zelig” and “The Godfather, Part III.”

The board also voted to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producer-executive John Calley. His producing credits include “Postcards from the Edge,” ”The Remains of the Day,” for which he earned a Best Picture Oscar nomination, “Closer” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

All four awards will be presented at the Academy’s inaugural Governors Awards gala event on Nov. 14 in Hollywood.