Note: Honorary awards (either an Oscar statuette or another form factor) are given periodically for exceptional achievements in film. Honorary awards are generally excluded from statistics referencing competitive awards (i.e. awards earned in regular categories, through normal peer voting procedures).
- 2023
- Honorary Award: Angela Bassett
- Honorary Award: Mel Brooks
- Honorary Award: Carol Littleton
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Michelle Satter
- 2021
- Honorary Award: Samuel L. Jackson — whose dynamic performances resonate across genres and generations of audiences worldwide.
- Honorary Award: Elaine May — writer, director, performer, pioneer whose bracing comedic spark illuminates us all.
- Honorary Award: Liv Ullmann — for her deeply affecting screen portrayals and lifelong commitment to exploring the human condition.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Danny Glover
- 2020
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Motion Picture & Television Fund
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Tyler Perry
- 2019
- Honorary Award: David Lynch — for fearlessly breaking boundaries in pursuit of his singular cinematic vision.
- Honorary Award: Wes Studi — in recognition of the power and craft he brings to his indelible film portrayals and for his steadfast support of the Native American community.
- Honorary Award: Lina Wertmüller — for her provocative disruption of political and social norms delivered with bravery through her weapon of choice: the camera lens.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Geena Davis
- 2018
- Honorary Award: Marvin Levy — for an exemplary career in publicity that has brought films to the minds, hearts and souls of audiences all over the world.
- Honorary Award: Lalo Schifrin — in recognition of his unique musical style, compositional integrity and influential contributions to the art of film scoring.
- Honorary Award: Cicely Tyson — whose unforgettable performances and personal integrity have inspired generations of filmmakers, actors and audiences.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Kathleen Kennedy
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Frank Marshall
- 2017
- Honorary Award: Charles Burnett — a resolutely independent and influential film pioneer who has chronicled the lives of black Americans with eloquence and insight.
- Honorary Award: Owen Roizman — whose expansive visual style and technical innovation have advanced the art of cinematography.
- Honorary Award: Donald Sutherland — for a lifetime of indelible characters, rendered with unwavering truthfulness.
- Honorary Award: Agnès Varda — whose compassion and curiosity inform a uniquely personal cinema.
- Special Award: Alejandro G. Iñárritu — for his CARNE y ARENA virtual reality installation, in recognition of a visionary and powerful experience in storytelling.
- 2016
- Honorary Award: Jackie Chan — an international film star who has captivated millions with his wit, boundless energy and unparalleled athletic artistry.
- Honorary Award: Anne V. Coates — in recognition of a film editing career of remarkable breadth and exceptional collaborative achievement.
- Honorary Award: Lynn Stalmaster — a true pioneer whose keen insight and inspired creativity transformed the art of motion picture casting.
- Honorary Award: Frederick Wiseman — whose masterful and distinctive documentaries examine the familiar and reveal the unexpected.
- 2015
- Honorary Award: Spike Lee — filmmaker, educator, motivator, iconoclast, artist.
- Honorary Award: Gena Rowlands — who has illuminated the human experience through her brilliant, passionate and fearless performances.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Debbie Reynolds
- 2014
- Honorary Award: Jean-Claude Carrière — whose elegantly crafted screenplays elevate the art of screenwriting to the level of literature.
- Honorary Award: Hayao Miyazaki — a master storyteller whose animated artistry has inspired filmmakers and audiences around the world.
- Honorary Award: Maureen O'Hara — one of Hollywood's brightest stars, whose inspiring performances glowed with passion, warmth and strength.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Harry Belafonte
- 2013
- Honorary Award: Angela Lansbury — an entertainment icon who has created some of cinema's most memorable characters, inspiring generations of actors.
- Honorary Award: Steve Martin — in recognition of his extraordinary talents and the unique inspiration he has brought to the art of motion pictures.
- Honorary Award: Piero Tosi — a visionary whose incomparable costume designs shaped timeless, living art in motion pictures.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Angelina Jolie
- 2012
- Honorary Award: Hal Needham — an innovator, mentor, and master technician who elevated his craft to an art and made the impossible look easy.
- Honorary Award: D.A. Pennebaker — who redefined the language of film and taught a generation of filmmakers to look to reality for inspiration.
- Honorary Award: George Stevens, Jr. — a tireless champion of the arts in America and especially that most American of arts: the Hollywood film.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jeffrey Katzenberg
- 2011
- Honorary Award: James Earl Jones — for his legacy of consistent excellence and uncommon versatility.
- Honorary Award: Dick Smith — for his unparalleled mastery of texture, shade, form and illusion.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Oprah Winfrey
- 2010
- Honorary Award: Kevin Brownlow — for the wise and devoted chronicling of the cinematic parade.
- Honorary Award: Jean-Luc Godard — for passion. For confrontation. For a new kind of cinema.
- Honorary Award: Eli Wallach — for a lifetime's worth of indelible screen characters.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Francis Ford Coppola
- 2009
- Honorary Award: Lauren Bacall — in recognition of her central place in the golden age of motion pictures.
- Honorary Award: Roger Corman — for his rich engendering of films and filmmakers.
- Honorary Award: Gordon Willis — for unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color and motion.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: John Calley
- 2008
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis
- 2007
- Honorary Award: Robert Boyle — in recognition of one of cinema's great careers in art direction.
- 2006
- Honorary Award: Ennio Morricone — in recognition of his magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Sherry Lansing
- 2005
- Honorary Award: Robert Altman — in recognition of a career that has repeatedly reinvented the art form and inspired filmmakers and audiences alike.
- 2004
- Honorary Award: Sidney Lumet — in recognition of his brilliant services to screenwriters, performers and the art of the motion picture.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Roger Mayer
- 2003
- Honorary Award: Blake Edwards — in recognition of his writing, directing and producing an extraordinary body of work for the screen.
- 2002
- Honorary Award: Peter O'Toole — whose remarkable talents have provided cinema history with some of its most memorable characters.
- 2001
- Honorary Award: Sidney Poitier — in recognition of his remarkable accomplishments as an artist and as a human being.
- Honorary Award: Robert Redford — Actor, director, producer, creator of Sundance, inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Arthur Hiller
- 2000
- Honorary Award: Jack Cardiff — master of light and color.
- Honorary Award: Ernest Lehman — in appreciation of a body of varied and enduring work.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Dino De Laurentiis
- 1999
- Honorary Award: Andrzej Wajda — in recognition of five decades of extraordinary film direction.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Warren Beatty
- 1998
- Honorary Award: Elia Kazan — in recognition of his indelible contributions to the art of motion picture direction.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Norman Jewison
- 1997
- Honorary Award: Stanley Donen — in appreciation of a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit and visual innovation.
- 1996
- Honorary Award: Michael Kidd — in recognition of his services to the art of the dance in the art of the screen.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Saul Zaentz
- 1995
- Honorary Award: Kirk Douglas — for fifty years as a creative and moral force in the motion picture community.
- Honorary Award: Chuck Jones — for the creation of classic cartoons which have brought worldwide joy for more than half a century.
- Special Achievement Award: John Lasseter — for his inspired leadership of the Pixar Toy Story team, resulting in the first feature-length computer-animated film.
- 1994
- Honorary Award: Michelangelo Antonioni — in recognition of his place as one of the cinema's master visual stylists.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Clint Eastwood
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Quincy Jones
- 1993
- Honorary Award: Deborah Kerr — in appreciation for a full career's worth of elegant and beautifully crafted performances.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Paul Newman
- 1992
- Honorary Award: Federico Fellini — in recognition of his place as one of the screen's master storytellers.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Audrey Hepburn
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Elizabeth Taylor
- 1991
- Honorary Award: Satyajit Ray — in recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: George Lucas
- 1990
- Honorary Award: Sophia Loren — one of the genuine treasures of world cinema who, in a career rich with memorable performances, has added permanent luster to our art form.
- Honorary Award: Myrna Loy — in recognition of her extraordinary qualities both on screen and off, with appreciation for a lifetime's worth of indelible performances.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: David Brown
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Richard D. Zanuck
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern, Alex Funke, Eric Brevig
- 1989
- Honorary Award: Akira Kurosawa — for accomplishments that have inspired, delighted, enriched and entertained audiences and influenced filmmakers throughout the world.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Howard W. Koch
- 1988
- Honorary Award: The National Film Board of Canada — in recognition of its 50th anniversary and its dedicated commitment to originate artistic, creative and technological activity and excellence in every area of film making.
- Honorary Award: Eastman Kodak Company — in recognition of the company's fundamental contributions to the art of motion pictures during the first century of film history.
- Special Achievement Award: Richard Williams — for the animation direction of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
- 1987
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Billy Wilder
- Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects Editing): John Pospisil, Stephen Flick
- 1986
- Honorary Award: Ralph Bellamy — for his unique artistry and his distinguished service to the profession of acting.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Steven Spielberg
- 1985
- Honorary Award: Paul Newman — in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft.
- Honorary Award: Alex North — in recognition of his brilliant artistry in the creation of memorable music for a host of distinguished motion pictures.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Charles 'Buddy' Rogers
- 1984
- Honorary Award: James Stewart — for his fifty years of memorable performances. For his high ideals both on and off the screen. With the respect and affection of his colleagues.
- Honorary Award: The National Endowment for the Arts — in recognition of its 20th anniversary and its dedicated commitment to fostering artistic and creative activity and excellence in every area of the arts.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: David L. Wolper
- Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects Editing): Kay Rose
- 1983
- Honorary Award: Hal Roach — in recognition of his unparalleled record of distinguished contributions to the motion picture art form.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: M. J. Frankovich
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Ken Ralston
- 1982
- Honorary Award: Mickey Rooney — in recognition of his 60 years of versatility in a variety of memorable film performances.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Walter Mirisch
- 1981
- Honorary Award: Barbara Stanwyck — for superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Albert R. Broccoli
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Danny Kaye
- Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects Editing): Richard L. Anderson, Ben Burtt
- 1980
- Honorary Award: Henry Fonda — the consummate actor, in recognition of his brilliant accomplishments and enduring contribution to the art of motion pictures.
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): Richard Edlund, Brian Johnson, Dennis Muren, Bruce Nicholson
- 1979
- Honorary Award: Alec Guinness — for advancing the art of screen acting through a host of memorable and distinguished performances.
- Honorary Award: Hal Elias — for his dedication and distinguished service to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Ray Stark
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Robert Benjamin
- Special Achievement Award (Sound Editing): Alan Splet
- 1978
- Honorary Award: Walter Lantz — for bringing joy and laughter to every part of the world through his unique animated motion pictures.
- Honorary Award: The Museum of Modern Art Department of Film — for the contribution it has made to the public's perception of movies as an art form.
- Honorary Award: Laurence Olivier — for the full body of his work, for the unique achievements of his entire career and his lifetime of contribution to the art of film.
- Honorary Award: King Vidor — for his incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Leo Jaffe
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): Derek Meddings, Les Bowie, Zoran Perisic, Colin Chilvers, Denys Coop, Roy Field
- 1977
- Honorary Award: Margaret Booth — for her exceptional contribution to the art of film editing in the motion picture industry.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Walter Mirisch
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Charlton Heston
- Special Achievement Award: Benjamin Burtt, Jr. — for the creation of the alien, creature and robot voices featured in Star Wars.
- Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects Editing): Frank E. Warner
- 1976
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Pandro S. Berman
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): L. B. Abbott, Glen Robinson, Matthew Yuricich
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): Glen Robinson, Frank Van der Veer, Carlo Rambaldi
- 1975
- Honorary Award: Mary Pickford — in recognition of her unique contributions to the film industry and the development of film as an artistic medium.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Mervyn LeRoy
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Dr. Jules C. Stein
- Special Achievement Award (Sound Effects): Peter Berkos
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): Albert Whitlock, Glen Robinson
- 1974
- Honorary Award: Howard Hawks — A master American filmmaker whose creative efforts hold a distinguished place in world cinema.
- Honorary Award: Jean Renoir — a genius who, with grace, responsibility and enviable devotion through silent film, sound film, feature, documentary and television, has won the world's admiration.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Arthur B. Krim
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): Albert Whitlock, Frank Brendel, Glen Robinson
- 1973
- Honorary Award: Henri Langlois — for his devotion to the art of film, his massive contributions in preserving its past and his unswerving faith in its future.
- Honorary Award: Groucho Marx — in recognition of his brilliant creativity and for the unequalled achievements of the Marx Brothers in the art of motion picture comedy.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Lawrence Weingarten
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Lew Wasserman
- 1972
- Honorary Award: Charles S. Boren — Leader for 38 years of the industry's enlightened labor relations and architect of its policy of non-discrimination. With the respect and affection of all who work in films.
- Honorary Award: Edward G. Robinson — who achieved greatness as a player, a patron of the arts and a dedicated citizen...in sum, a Renaissance man. From his friends in the industry he loves.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Rosalind Russell
- Special Achievement Award (Visual Effects): L. B. Abbott, A. D. Flowers
- 1971
- Honorary Award: Charles Chaplin — for the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century.
- 1970
- Honorary Award: Lillian Gish — for superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures.
- Honorary Award: Orson Welles — for superlative artistry and versatility in the creation of motion pictures.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Ingmar Bergman
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Frank Sinatra
- 1969
- Honorary Award: Cary Grant — for his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: George Jessel
- 1968
- Honorary Award: Onna White — for her outstanding choreography achievement for Oliver!
- Honorary Award: John Chambers — for his outstanding makeup achievement for Planet of the Apes.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Martha Raye
- 1967
- Honorary Award: Arthur Freed — for distinguished service to the Academy and the production of six top-rated Awards telecasts.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Alfred Hitchcock
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Gregory Peck
- 1966
- Honorary Award: Y. Frank Freeman — for unusual and outstanding service to the Academy during his thirty years in Hollywood.
- Honorary Award: Yakima Canutt — for achievements as a stunt man and for developing safety devices to protect stunt men everywhere.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Robert Wise
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: George Bagnall
- 1965
- Honorary Award: Bob Hope — for unique and distinguished service to our industry and the Academy.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: William Wyler
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Edmond L. DePatie
- 1964
- Honorary Award: William Tuttle — for his outstanding make-up achievement for 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.
- 1963
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Sam Spiegel
- 1962
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Steve Broidy
- 1961
- Honorary Award: William L. Hendricks — for his outstanding patriotic service in the conception, writing and production of the Marine Corps film, A Force in Readiness, which has brought honor to the Academy and the motion picture industry.
- Honorary Award: Fred L. Metzler — for his dedication and outstanding service to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- Honorary Award: Jerome Robbins — for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Stanley Kramer
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: George Seaton
- 1960
- Honorary Award: Hayley Mills — for Pollyanna, the most outstanding juvenile performance during 1960.
- Honorary Award: Gary Cooper — for his many memorable screen performances and the international recognition he, as an individual, has gained for the motion picture industry.
- Honorary Award: Stan Laurel — for his creative pioneering in the field of cinema comedy.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Sol Lesser
- 1959
- Honorary Award: Lee De Forest — for his pioneering inventions which brought sound to the motion picture.
- Honorary Award: Buster Keaton — for his unique talents which brought immortal comedies to the screen.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Bob Hope
- 1958
- Honorary Award: Maurice Chevalier — for his contributions to the world of entertainment for more than half a century.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Jack L. Warner
- 1957
- Honorary Award: Charles Brackett — for outstanding service to the Academy.
- Honorary Award: B.B. Kahane — for distinguished service to the motion picture industry.
- Honorary Award: Gilbert M. Anderson — motion picture pioneer, for his contributions to the development of motion pictures as entertainment.
- Honorary Award: The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers — for their contributions to the advancement of the motion picture industry.
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Samuel Goldwyn
- 1956
- Honorary Award: Eddie Cantor — for distinguished service to the film industry.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Buddy Adler
- Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Y. Frank Freeman
- 1955
- Honorary Foreign Language Film Award: Samurai, The Legend of Musashi—Best Foreign Language Film first released in the United States during 1955.
- 1954
- Honorary Award: Jon Whiteley — for his outstanding juvenile performance in The Little Kidnappers.
- Honorary Award: Vincent Winter — for his outstanding juvenile performance in The Little Kidnappers.
- Honorary Award: Bausch & Lomb Optical Company — for their contributions to the advancement of the motion picture industry.
- Honorary Award: Kemp R. Niver — for the development of the Renovare Process which has made possible the restoration of the Library of Congress Paper Film Collection.
- Honorary Award: Greta Garbo — for her unforgettable screen performances.
- Honorary Award: Danny Kaye — for his unique talents, his service to the Academy, the motion picture industry, and the American people.
- Honorary Foreign Language Film Award: Gate of Hell—Best Foreign Language Film first released in the United States during 1954.
- 1953
- Honorary Award: Pete Smith — for his witty and pungent observations on the American scene in his series of "Pete Smith Specialties."
- Honorary Award: 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation — in recognition of their imagination, showmanship and foresight in introducing the revolutionary process known as CinemaScope.
- Honorary Award: Joseph I. Breen — for his conscientious, open-minded and dignified management of the Motion Picture Production Code.
- Honorary Award: Bell and Howell Company — for their pioneering and basic achievements in the advancement of the motion picture industry.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: George Stevens
- 1952
- Honorary Award: George Alfred Mitchell — for the design and development of the camera which bears his name and for his continued and dominant presence in the field of cinematography.
- Honorary Award: Joseph M. Schenck — for long and distinguished service to the motion picture industry.
- Honorary Award: Merian C. Cooper — for his many innovations and contributions to the art of motion pictures.
- Honorary Award: Harold Lloyd — master comedian and good citizen.
- Honorary Award: Bob Hope — for his contribution to the laughter of the world, his service to the motion picture industry, and his devotion to the American premise.
- Honorary Foreign Language Film Award: Forbidden Games—Best Foreign Language Film first released in the United States during 1952.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Cecil B. DeMille
- 1951
- Honorary Award: Gene Kelly — in appreciation of his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.
- Honorary Foreign Language Film Award: Rashomon—voted by the Board of Governors as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States during 1951.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Arthur Freed
- 1950
- Honorary Award: George Murphy — for his services in interpreting the film industry to the country at large.
- Honorary Award: Louis B. Mayer — for distinguished service to the motion picture industry.
- Honorary Foreign Language Film Award: The Walls of Malapaga—voted by the Board of Governors as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States in 1950.
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Darryl F. Zanuck
- 1949
- Special Award: Bobby Driscoll — as the outstanding juvenile actor of 1949.
- Special Award: Fred Astaire — for his unique artistry and his contributions to the technique of musical pictures.
- Special Award: Cecil B. DeMille — distinguished motion picture pioneer, for 37 years of brilliant showmanship.
- Special Award: Jean Hersholt — for distinguished service to the motion picture industry.
- Special Foreign Language Film Award: The Bicycle Thief—voted by the Academy Board of Governors as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States during 1949.
- 1948
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Jerry Wald
- Special Award: Ivan Jandl — for the outstanding juvenile performance of 1948, as "Karel Malik" in The Search.
- Special Award: Sid Grauman — master showman, who raised the standard of exhibition of motion pictures.
- Special Award: Adolph Zukor — a man who has been called the father of the feature film in America, for his services to the industry over a period of forty years.
- Special Award: Walter Wanger — for distinguished service to the industry in adding to its moral stature in the world community by his production of the picture Joan of Arc.
- Special Award: Jean Hersholt — in recognition of his service to the Academy during four terms as president.
- Special Foreign Language Film Award: Monsieur Vincent—voted by the Academy Board of Governors as the most outstanding foreign language film released in the United States during 1948.
- 1947
- Special Award: James Baskett — for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and story teller to the children of the world in Walt Disney's Song of the South.
- Special Award: Shoe-Shine—the high quality of this motion picture, brought to eloquent life in a country scarred by war, is proof to the world that the creative spirit can triumph over adversity.
- Special Award: Bill and Coo—in which artistry and patience blended in a novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion pictures.
- Special Award: Colonel William N. Selig, Albert E. Smith, Thomas Armat, George K. Spoor — (one of) the small group of pioneers whose belief in a new medium, and whose contributions to its development, blazed the trail along which the motion picture has progressed, in their lifetime, from obscurity to world-wide acclaim.
- 1946
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Samuel Goldwyn
- Special Award: Harold Russell — for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.
- Special Award: Laurence Olivier — for his outstanding achievement as actor, producer and director in bringing Henry V to the screen.
- Special Award: Ernst Lubitsch — for his distinguished contributions to the art of the motion picture.
- Special Award: Claude Jarman, Jr. — outstanding child actor of 1946.
- 1945
- Special Award: The House I Live In—tolerance short subject; produced by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy; directed by Mervyn LeRoy; screenplay by Albert Maltz; song "The House I Live In," music by Earl Robinson, lyrics by Lewis Allan; starring Frank Sinatra; released by RKO Radio.
- Special Award: Walter Wanger — for his six years service as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- Special Award: Peggy Ann Garner — outstanding child actress of 1945.
- Special Award: Republic Studio Sound Department, Daniel J. Bloomberg, Republic Studio — for the building of an outstanding musical scoring auditorium which provides optimum recording conditions and combines all elements of acoustic and engineering design.
- 1944
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Darryl F. Zanuck
- Special Award: Margaret O'Brien — outstanding child actress of 1944.
- Special Award: Bob Hope — for his many services to the Academy.
- 1943
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Hal B. Wallis
- Special Award: George Pal — for the development of novel methods and techniques in the production of short subjects known as Puppetoons.
- 1942
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Sidney Franklin
- Special Award: Noel Coward — for his outstanding production achievement in In Which We Serve.
- Special Award: Charles Boyer — for his progressive cultural achievement in establishing the French Research Foundation in Los Angeles as a source of reference for the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry.
- Special Award: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer — for its achievement in representing the American Way of Life in the production of the "Andy Hardy" series of films.
- 1941
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Walt Disney
- Special Award: Rey Scott — for his extraordinary achievement in producing Kukan, the film record of China's struggle, including its photography with a 16mm camera under the most difficult and dangerous conditions.
- Special Award: The British Ministry of Information — for its vivid and dramatic presentation of the heroism of the RAF in the documentary film, Target for Tonight.
- Special Award: Leopold Stokowski — and his associates for their unique achievement in the creation of a new form of visualized music in Walt Disney's production, Fantasia, thereby widening the scope of the motion picture as entertainment and as an art form.
- Special Award: Walt Disney , William Garity, John N. A. Hawkins, the RCA Manufacturing Company — for their outstanding contribution to the advancement of the use of sound in motion pictures through the production of Fantasia.
- 1940
- Special Award: Bob Hope — in recognition of his unselfish services to the Motion Picture Industry.
- Special Award: Colonel Nathan Levinson — for his outstanding service to the industry and the Army during the past nine years, which has made possible the present efficient mobilization of the motion picture industry facilities for the production of Army Training Films.
- 1939
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: David O. Selznick
- Special Award: Douglas Fairbanks — (Commemorative Award) - recognizing the unique and outstanding contribution of Douglas Fairbanks, first President of the Academy, to the international development of the motion picture.
- Special Award: The Motion Picture Relief Fund — acknowledging the outstanding services to the industry during the past year of the Motion Picture Relief Fund and its progressive leadership. Presented to Jean Hersholt, President; Ralph Morgan, Chairman of the Executive Committee; Ralph Block, First Vice-President; and Conrad Nagel.
- Special Award: Judy Garland — for her outstanding performance as a screen juvenile during the past year.
- Special Award: William Cameron Menzies — for outstanding achievement in the use of color for the enhancement of dramatic mood in the production of Gone with the Wind.
- Special Award: The Technicolor Company — for its contributions in successfully bringing three-color feature production to the screen.
- 1938
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Hal B. Wallis
- Special Award: Oliver Marsh, Allen Davey — for the color cinematography of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production, Sweethearts.
- Special Award: Farciot Edouart, Gordon Jennings, Loren Ryder, Loyal Griggs, Jan Domela, Dev Jennings, Irmin Roberts, Art Smith, Harry Mills, Louis H. Mesenkop, Walter Oberst — For outstanding achievement in creating Special Photographic and Sound Effects in the Paramount production, Spawn of the North. Special Effects by Gordon Jennings, assisted by Jan Domela, Dev Jennings, Irmin Roberts and Art Smith. Transparencies by Farciot Edouart, assisted by Loyal Griggs. Sound Effects by Loren Ryder, assisted by Harry Mills, Louis H. Mesenkop and Walter Oberst.
- Special Award: Deanna Durbin, Mickey Rooney — for their significant contribution in bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth, and as juvenile players setting a high standard of ability and achievement.
- Special Award: Harry M. Warner — in recognition of patriotic service in the production of historical short subjects presenting significant episodes in the early struggle of the American people for liberty.
- Special Award: Walt Disney — for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, recognized as a significant screen innovation which has charmed millions and pioneered a great new entertainment field for the motion picture cartoon.
- Special Award: J. Arthur Ball — for his outstanding contributions to the advancement of color in Motion Picture Photography.
- 1937
- Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Darryl F. Zanuck
- Special Award: W. Howard Greene — for the color photography of A Star Is Born. (This Award was recommended by a committee of leading cinematographers after viewing all the color pictures made during the year.)
- Special Award: Mack Sennett — for his lasting contribution to the comedy technique of the screen, the basic principles of which are as important today as when they were first put into practice, the Academy presents a Special Award to that master of fun, discoverer of stars, sympathetic, kindly, understanding comedy genius - Mack Sennett.
- Special Award: Edgar Bergen — for his outstanding comedy creation, "Charlie McCarthy."
- Special Award: The Museum of Modern Art Film Library — for its significant work in collecting films dating from 1895 to the present and for the first time making available to the public the means of studying the historical and aesthetic development of the motion picture as one of the major arts.
- 1936
- Special Award: Harold Rosson, W. Howard Greene — for the color cinematography of the Selznick International Production, The Garden of Allah.
- Special Award: The March in Time—for its significance to motion pictures and for having revolutionized one of the most important branches of the industry - the newsreel.
- 1935
- Special Award: David Wark Griffith — for his distinguished creative achievements as director and producer and his invaluable initiative and lasting contributions to the progress of the motion picture arts.
- 1934
- Special Award: Shirley Temple — in grateful recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934.
- 1931/32
- Special Award: Walt Disney — for the creation of "Mickey Mouse."
- 1927/28
- Special Award: Charles Chaplin — for acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus.
- Special Award: Warner Bros. — for producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry.
