Throughout his career, the legendary David Lynch has been nominated for four Academy Awards thanks to Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, and Mulholland Drive, but surprisingly, Lynch has never actually won an Oscar... Until this past Sunday, that is.
Lynch can now be considered and Academy Award-winning filmmaker, as he was awarded with an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in Hollywood on October 27th!
In addition to Lynch, director Lina Wertmüller and actors Geena Davis and Wes Studi were also recipients of this year’s Governors Awards. "These Governors Awards given by the Academy each year recognize individuals who have devoted themselves to a lifetime of artistic accomplishment and brought outstanding contributions to our industry, and beyond," said Academy President John Bailey.
The official press release notes Lynch's lifetime achievements:
Born in Missoula, Montana, in 1946, Lynch is a filmmaker, musician and artist. He wrote, produced and directed his first full-length feature film, “Eraserhead,” in 1977. With editing, scoring and sound design also led by Lynch, the film continues to draw a large cult following. Its success brought Lynch the opportunity to direct “The Elephant Man” (1980), which received eight Oscar nominations including Directing and Adapted Screenplay for Lynch himself. His prolific career has included two more Directing nominations – for “Blue Velvet” (1986) and “Mulholland Drive” (2001) – and additional directing credits for “Dune” (1984), “Wild at Heart” (1990), “Lost Highway” (1997), “The Straight Story” (1999) and “Inland Empire” (2006).
Below, you can watch Isabella Rossellini honoring Lynch and the legendary filmmakers's acceptance speech.