Of all the non-competitive Oscars still in existence, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award is the least commonly bestowed, having only gone to 38 individuals in 86 years. One of those recipients was Albert R. Broccoli, who was best known for producing the first 17 entries in the “James Bond” series. Now, his children and Eon Productions successors Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli have further followed in his footsteps by being selected for the same film academy honor.
Along with Richard Curtis, Quincy Jones, and Juliet Taylor, Wilson and Broccoli are set to be lauded at the 15th annual Governors Awards. Their inclusion in this group of honorees is, in the words of academy president Janet Yang, “a testament to their success as producers of the fan-favorite Bond series and their contribution to the industry’s theatrical landscape.” Broccoli will be only the second female recipient of the Thalberg prize after Kathleen Kennedy, who shared the honor with her husband and Amblin Entertainment co-founder, Frank Marshall, in 2018.
Since kicking off his producing career with 1979’s “Moonraker,” Wilson has worked on 15 Bond films, five of which he co-wrote and all of which feature him in cameo roles. Having joined the family business in 1987, Broccoli currently has 11 Bond credits to her name, the latest of which is 2021’s “No Time to Die.” Under the siblings’ leadership, Eon’s flagship franchise has grossed over $5.4 billion worldwide, with their biggest hit being 2012’s “Skyfall,” which won Oscars for its title song and sound editing.
Over the past decade, Wilson and Broccoli have frequently ventured beyond the Bond series to produce movies such as “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool” (2017), “The Rhythm Section” (2020), and “Till” (2022). They have also been attached to 10 stage productions since 2002, including “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “Chariots of Fire,” and “Othello.”
Wilson and Broccoli were honored in 2014 with the Producers Guild of America’s David O. Selznick Award for lifetime achievement, which has been conferred upon a dozen other Thalberg Award recipients. They also serve as directors of the Dana and Albert R. Broccoli Charitable Foundation, which was founded by their parents in 1980 to support the arts, education, and health research.
The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award is given to producers “whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production.” Its namesake worked on 90 films (including three Best Picture Oscar winners) during Hollywood’s Golden Age before his life was tragically cut short at age 37. Since 2009, it has been presented at a separate ceremony that takes place several months before the same year’s Oscars. Wilson, Broccoli, and their fellow honorees will collect their trophies on Sunday, November 17.
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