LOS ANGELES — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present multiple film luminaries with honorary Oscars this November: director Peter Weir, composer Diane Warren and filmmaker Euzhan Palcy. Actor Michael J. Fox will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (also an Oscar statuette). Academy President David Rubin said these Oscars would celebrate the recipients' "indelible contributions to cinema and the world at large." The awards will be conferred at the academy's 13th Governors Awards on Nov. 19 in Los Angeles.
Fox, who starred in the hit sitcoms "Family Ties" and "Spin City," appeared in such well-known films as "Doc Hollywood," "The American President" and the iconic "Back to the Future" trilogy. His honors include five Emmys, two SAGs and a Grammy Award.
Fox was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease after showing symptoms during production on "Doc Hollywood" in 1991 when he was only 29. He established the Michael J. Fox Foundation, whose work has included the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative, an effort that includes 33 clinical sites in 11 countries and 1,400 participants, according to the foundation's website.
