Andrzej Witold Wajda was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the "Polish Film School". He was known especially for his trilogy of war films consisting of A Generation (1955), Kanał (1957) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958).
Wajda in 1963
Andrzej Wajda (center), c. 1970
Wajda during filming in 1974
During the filming of Katyń in 2007
The Academy Honorary Award – instituted in 1950 for the 23rd Academy Awards – is given annually by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Since 2009, it has been presented at the separate annual Governors Awards rather than at the regular Academy Awards ceremony. The Honorary Award celebrates motion picture achievements that are not covered by existing Academy Awards, although prior winners of competitive Academy Awards are not excluded from receiving the award.
Charlie Chaplin originally received competitive nominations for The Circus (1928); however, the Academy rescinded them in lieu of this Honorary Award. He later earned three nominations for The Great Dictator (1940), one for Monsieur Verdoux (1947), won a competitive award for composing Limelight (1952), and obtained a second Honorary Award.
Walt Disney holds the record for most Oscar nominations (59) and wins (22). He received four Honorary Awards in addition to those wins.
Shirley Temple received the first Juvenile Award, in the form of a miniature statuette.
D. W. Griffith directed many silent classics, including The Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919), Orphans of the Storm (1921), et al.
