James Earl Jones, Oprah Winfrey given honorary Oscars

James Earl Jones has been presented witha lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences for his nearly six decades in film, while media mogul Oprah Winfrey has beengiven the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

The 80-year-old Jones, known for his deep baritone voice, was the recipient of one of threehonorary Oscars handed out Saturday night in Los Angeles at the academy's third annual Governors Awards.

Winfrey, 57, received her awardfor her philanthropic work, notably her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.The third honorary award recipient was makeup artist Dick Smith, 91, celebrated for his work in The Exorcist and The Godfather andseveral other films.

Armed storm troopers ensured guests were in their seats and paying attention as Darth Vader opened the evening.

Under Vader's helmet was academy president Tom Sherak, who welcomed the audience of industry insiders with, "How was your week?" an apparent reference to the tumultuous runup to the awards ceremony.

Over the past week, Oscar producer Brett Ratner and host Eddie Murphy resigned and were replaced with producer Brian Grazer and hostBilly Crystal.

Saturday's untelevised Governors Awards, though, couldn't have been smoother, as the honorees accepted Oscar statuettes in front of a starry crowd that included John Travolta, Alec Baldwin, Woody Harrelson, Sharon Stone, Seth Rogen, Sidney Poitier and Tyler Perry, among others.

Jones, who famously voiced Vader, accepted his award by video from London's Wyndham Theatre, where he is starring in Driving Miss Daisy with Vanessa Redgrave. Baldwin and Glenn Close feted the actor before Sir Ben Kingsley presented him with his Oscar onstage in London.

James Earl Jones a 'world treasure'

Close called Jones "a world treasure" and Kingsley said the actor is "always so damn good." A beaming Jones said receiving an Oscar in such a fashion is "an actor's wet dream."

"I'm deeply honoured, mighty grateful and just plain gobsmacked," he said.

Smith, meanwhile,was lauded for his long career and his generosity in sharing the secrets of his craft. Writer-directors J.J. Abrams, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro saluted Smith.

Abrams, creator of TV's Lost and Fringe, said Smith "was the Beatles to me" and told of how he wrote a fan letter to the makeup artist and received an "old but clean" tongue from The Exorcist in return.

John Travolta said "the academy got it right" when it chose media mogul Winfrey to receive its Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, calling her "the most wonderful person in the world, the most magical person in the world and the most powerful person in the world."

Winfrey cried and nuzzled into boyfriend Stedman Graham as Maria Shriver and others spoke of her generosity, which includes providing scholarships for 65,000 students.

She said receiving an Oscar for philanthropy is "unimaginable" given her humble beginnings in Mississippi.

"It's impossible for you to even know what this journey has meant," Winfrey said.

Appearing in The Color Purple was "one of the greatest experiences of my life," she said.

When Quincy Jones tapped her for the role of Sofia in the 1985 film for which she earned an Oscar nod for supporting actress he changed the course of her career.

"I'd like to do more films, but to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award means more to me than any film, any acclaim, even an Oscar, because what it says is you all get it," Winfrey said.

The film academy launched its Governors Awards three years ago to pay tribute to winners of honorary Oscars prizes previously presented during the Academy Awards telecast.

Governors from its 15 branches chose Saturday's winners.

Highlights from the event will be available online at Oscars.org and included in the Academy Awards telecast in February.