The Cecil B. DeMille Award is an honorary Golden Globe Award bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment".[1][2] The HFPA board of directors selects the honorees from a variety of actors, directors, writers and producers who have made a significant mark in the film industry.[1] It was first presented at the 9th Golden Globe Awards ceremony in February 1952 and is named in honor of its first recipient, director Cecil B. DeMille.[3] The HFPA chose DeMille due to his prestige in the industry and his "internationally recognized and respected name".[3] DeMille received the award the year his penultimate film, The Greatest Show on Earth, premiered.[3] A year later in 1953, the award was presented to producer Walt Disney.[4]
The award has been presented annually since 1952, with exceptions being 1976, 2008, 2022, and 2024. The second incident was due to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike's cancellation of that year's ceremony. The award that year was meant to honor director Steven Spielberg, but due to the cancellation of the ceremony, the award was presented to him the following year.[5] The third occurrence resulted from various media companies, actors, and other creatives boycotting the awards in protest over its lack of action to increase the membership diversity of the HFPA.[6] In 2024, the award was shelved to make way for additional categories at that year's ceremony.[7]
The youngest honoree was actress Judy Garland, at age 39 in 1962. Garland was also the first female honoree.[1] The oldest honoree was producer Samuel Goldwyn, at age 93 in 1973.[1][3] In 1982, Sidney Poitier became the first African-American recipient.[1] In 2018, Oprah Winfrey became the first African-American woman to receive the honor.[8] As of 2023[update], 69 honorees have received the Cecil B. DeMille Award: 16 women and 53 men. The award has notably been presented to two members of the same family: with Jane Fonda receiving the award in 2021, 41 years after it was presented to her father Henry Fonda.
List of honorees
Year of ceremony, name of honoree, nationality, and his or her official HFPA description
"In 1928, he created Steamboat Willie introducing Mickey Mouse, and from that point there was no stopping the king of family entertainment in the U.S."
"Youngest of twelve children of Jewish immigrants from Poland who, with three brothers, established Warner Bros. which he ran with a firm hand until 1967."
"Born in a trunk, working in films since 1935. When she received the award, A Star Is Born and her dramatic vignette in Judgment at Nuremberg were fresh in everyone's memory."
"Having made her Hollywood screen debut at age 10, she became part of the world's cinematic royalty, from National Velvet in 1944 to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1966 – and beyond."
"Born in Mexico, he entered films in 1936 after a brief stage experience. In addition to his acting (Zorba the Greek, Lawrence of Arabia, La Strada), he was an accomplished painter and sculptor."
"The slave girl in Quo Vadis in 1951 went on to impress in a succession of roles (who can forget Two Women?) in more than eighty films in Italy and Hollywood."
"One of the greatest actors in all of film history, Al Pacino established himself during one of film's greatest decades, the 70s, and has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies."
"His tremendous ability with 'ordinary guy' roles has been rightly praised, sometimes at the expense of his equally impressive comic timing and the undercurrent of eccentricity that sometimes floats to the surface of his straightest roles."
"From child actor to movie star and beyond: director, producer, industry leader. Her acceptance speech at 70th Golden Globe Awards became one of the highlights of the evening."
"A king of comedy who moved at ease into drama and psychological observation throughout a massive career spanning seven decades. Eight times a Golden Globe nominee, winner twice, both times as a screenwriter, for The Purple Rose of Cairo and Midnight in Paris."
"Washington’s achievements as a performer and a filmmaker have earned him seven Golden Globe Award nominations in two categories, resulting in two wins."
"Acclaimed actress, producer, television star, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey is a Golden Globe nominee for her work in The Color Purple."
"Part of an illustrious Hollywood family, Jeff Bridges built a long, eclectic and celebrated career. A Golden Globe winner and four-time Golden Globe nominee, Bridges is also a musician and passionate philanthropist."
^The 2022 awards ceremony was cancelled due a boycott stemming from various media companies, actors, and other creatives over its lack of action to increase the membership diversity of the HFPA. Furthermore, broadcaster NBC announced in May 2021 that the network would refuse to broadcast the ceremony in support of the boycott.[6]
^The 2024 award was shelved to make way for additional categories during the ceremony.[80]