Jackie Chan Honored With Oscar At The Academy’s Governor’s Awards

Jackie Chan was among four artists to be honored by the Academy at the Governors Awards on Sunday with Oscars for achievement in the industry.

JACKIE CHAN AWARDED OSCAR AT GOVERNORS AWARDS

The Governors Awards are so named because they are awarded by the Board of Governors at AMPAS, and are given to various professionals who work in film to honor their lifetime achievements. This year, the awards paid tribute to casting director Lynn Stalmaster, editor Anne V. Coates, documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, and action-comedy legend Chan.

The evening was surprisingly upbeat given the results of the election last Tuesday. The red carpet was full of election talk, but inside the walls of the Hollywood & Highland Center, the mood was relaxed and happy. Among guests at the black-tie event were Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Felicity Jones, Emma Stone, Greta Gerwig, Helen Mirren, and Warren Beatty, among others.

At one point, Annette Bening and Tom Hanks danced around the room, showing the message that even in today’s troubling times, the movies can still entertain and unite us. “Tonight is an opportunity to remind us of what we love about movies,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Not just the fact that they can entertain and enlighten us but how, in certain times, they can connect us, change us, and unify us.”

Jeff Bridges introduced Stalmaster, 88, who is the first person to win an Oscar for casting. He worked on such classic films as West Side Story and The Graduate. Coates won for her editing work on the 1962 epic Lawrence of Arabia. Wiseman was honored for his eye-opening documentaries and his “fly-on-the-wall observational-style” filmmaking. “I think it’s as important to document kindness, civility, and generosity of spirit as it is to show cruelty, banality, and indifference,” said the 86-year-old upon acceptance of his Oscar.

Hanks introduced Chan, whose mixture of martial arts and comedic style have brought him to global stardom. The 62-year-old actor said that he’s always dreamed of winning an Oscar, since he touched one at Sylvester Stallone’s house 23 years ago. “Standing here is a dream,” he told the crowd. “After 56 years in the film industry, making more than 200 films, breaking so many bones, finally this is mine.”