The Queen of Technicolor is finally getting her due. Legendary Hollywood star Maureen O’Hara will be among the recipients of an honorary Academy Award later today, along with Harry Belafonte, Hayao Miyazaki and Jean-Claude Carriere.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced this year’s honorary class in August. The private ceremony will likely be mentioned during the Oscars broadcast next year.
O’Hara, now 94, never received even an Oscar nomination during her career, despite her long list of classic roles. She appeared in John Ford’s How Green Was My Valley, the winner of 1941’s Best Picture Oscar and was first introduced to American audiences in 1939’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 75 years ago. She also made other films with Ford and John Wayne, including The Quiet Man.
O’Hara did appear at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April. Her spokesman told Irish Central that tonight will actually be her last red carpet appearance.
“Maureen is very excited and she feels particularly honored and flattered, because she sees this as recognition of her achievement by her peers,” rep Johnny Nicoletti said, adding, “I know Maureen has prepared a speech and she knows what she's going to say, but she's keeping the contents of her acceptance speech close to her chest."
Carriere is the least-known name on the list of honorees, but he does already have an Oscar. A French screenwriter with over 100 credits, Carriere won an Oscar in 1962 for co-writing Pierre Etaix’s brilliant short Happy Anniversary. He is best known for his work with Louis Bunuel, earning Oscar nominations for The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and That Obscure Object of Desire. More recently, he has worked with Peter Brook.
“Usually the names of the screenwriters are forgotten,” Carriere recently told The Associated Press. “They do not appear on the credits. When there is a review about the film, it's very rare that the name of the screenwriter appears. So for once, the screenwriter is in, how can I say, full light.”
Belafonte, 87, will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Miyazaki will be recognized for his achievements in animation and previously won an Oscar for Spirited Away.
image courtesy of Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com