On Saturday, November 12, The Board of Governors honored Oprah Winfrey with the coveted Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Award.The award has been given out intermittently by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1956.
Previous recipients include Bob Hope, Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Jerry Lewis.
The Academy said that since her Oscar nomination in 1986, Winfrey had become "one of the most influential figures in entertainment and philanthropy".
"She has been especially dedicated to supporting educational initiatives and raising awareness of issues that affect women and children, both in the United States and around the globe," it said in a statement.
In her acceptance sppeech Winfrey noted, "what this really means is that you all understand that what I've been trying to do and what I've tried to say all these years, is that all of us can make a difference through the life that we live."
"And when you understand as I do, that this to me, I'm going to allow this Oscar, like I've interviewed everybody over the years, and say, 'Where do you keep your Oscar?' And people always so nonchalant about it, and say, 'Oh my, I keep it in my bathroom. I don't know where mine is. My sister has it.' Well, my new sister, my sister who I just discovered last year. This time last year, is here. Pat is here. I will say, 'She will not have it.' I will have it. And I will keep it on my desk in front of me to remind me that you have voted for me. You have voted for what I believe is the essence of why we are all here. We are all here to help each other. We are all here to use our lives in service to one and other."
The night's other honorees included actor James Earl Jones and makeup master Dick Smith.
Portions of the Governors Awards will be aired on the next annual Academy Awards telecast on February 26, 2012.
Click here to watch Oprah's acceptance speech.
