Tom Cruise, the iconic American film star, has received his first ever Academy Award, an honorary Oscar.
Cruise, 63, accepted the prestigious award at the annual Governors Awards in Hollywood, joining singer and philanthropist Dolly Parton, choreographer Debbie Allen, and production designer Wynn Thomas as honorees.
“Making films is not what I do, it is who I am,” the four-time Oscar nominee remarked Sunday, delivering an acceptance speech that emphasized his enduring passion for cinema.
The star of “Top Gun” and “Mission: Impossible” films paid tribute to both on-screen and behind-the-camera talent, acknowledging those he has collaborated with throughout his illustrious 45-year career, and celebrated the power of film.
Cruise was met with a prolonged standing ovation and enthusiastic applause as he took the stage, with luminaries such as Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jerry Bruckheimer among those in attendance.
Acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro G Iñárritu, who is set to direct Cruise in an upcoming project, presented the actor with the honorary award.
“The cinema, it takes me around the world,” Cruise shared in his speech. “It helps me to appreciate and respect differences. It shows me also our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways.”
“And no matter where we come from, in that theatre, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, we dream together. And that is the power of this art form.”
“And that is why it matters, that is why it matters to me. So making films is not what I do, it is who I am.”
Cruise debuted on film in 1981 and garnered previous nominations for Best Actor for “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire.” He also received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for “Magnolia” and a nomination for producing “Top Gun: Maverick.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ Board of Governors recognized Cruise for his “incredible commitment to our film-making community, to the theatrical experience, and to the stunts community,” according to the organization.
The “Risky Business” actor shared that cinema broadened his horizons far beyond the world he knew as a child.
“It opened my eyes. It opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries that I then perceived in my own life. And that beam of light opened a desire to open the world, and I have been following it ever since.”
The actor, known for performing his own stunts, has consistently championed cinema in an era where streaming services and social media compete for audience attention.
“I want you to know that I will always do everything I can to help this art form, to support and champion new voices, to protect what makes cinema powerful – hopefully without too many more broken bones.”
Earlier this year, Cruise was reportedly slated to be acknowledged by US President Donald Trump as a Kennedy Center honoree, but he reportedly declined due to scheduling conflicts.
The new voting maps, designed to strengthen Republican majority in next year’s midterm polls, triggered a nationwide redistricting battle.
The cargo ship lost power before crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, leaving six workers dead.
The US president’s claims that the crown prince knew nothing’ contradict the CIA’s own assessment.
The new criminal investigation comes as the music mogul is serving a 4-year prison term.
The president made the comment to a female reporter while speaking to the press on Air Force One on Friday.