Actor Tom Cruise marks a major milestone in his career, as he receives his first-ever Oscar at the 2025 Governors Awards.

On Nov. 16, the 63-year-old accepted the Honorary Academy Award during the 16th annual event at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles, for his commitment to the motion picture arts and sciences.

“The cinema, it takes me around the world,” Cruise said during his acceptance speech. “It helps me to appreciate and respect differences. It shows me also our shared humanity, how alike we are in so, so many ways.”

“No matter where we come from, in that theater, we laugh together, we feel together, we hope together, and that is the power of this art form,” he continued. “That is why it matters, that is why it matters to me. Making films is not what I do, it is who I am.”

Best known for his starring roles in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, “Top Gun,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Rain Man,” and “Jerry Maguire,” the actor delved into what inspires his love for cinema, which stemmed from an early age.

“I was just a little kid in a darkened theater, and I remember that beam of light just cut across the room, and I remember looking up, and it seemed to be ... just exploded on the screen. Suddenly, the world was so much larger than the one that I knew.”

“Entire cultures and lives and landscapes all unfolded in front of me, and it sparked something,” Cruise told attendees. “It sparked a hunger for adventure, a hunger for knowledge, a hunger to understand humanity, to create characters, to tell a story, to see the world.”

“It opened my eyes. It opened my imagination to the possibility that life could expand far beyond the boundaries that I then perceived in my own life.”

Over his 45-year-long career, Cruise received four Oscar nominations, which included Best Actor in a Leading Role, Supporting Role, and Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu presented Cruise with the award and highlighted his enthusiasm, intensity, and dedication to perfecting his craft. Iñárritu noted he has seen this firsthand, and is set to direct the actor in an untitled film to be released next year.

“This might be his first Oscar, but what I have seen and experienced: it will not be the last,” Iñárritu said.

“If you stand next to him, you start to feel like the rest of us belong to a rapidly decaying species. He easily has another 60 years of career and more awards. But we will not be here.”

Joining Cruise as honorary recipients of the award were actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, along with renowned production designer Wynn Thomas.

During the same event, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian accolade was awarded to the Queen of Country Dolly Parton, honoring her humanitarian efforts while “promoting human welfare” and “rectifying inequities” in the motion picture industry.

Since 1929, the Governors Awards have continued to bestow lifetime achievements and honors to those contributing to global cinema. Recipients are selected during a springtime meeting and honored during a gala each year in the fall.

Previous recipients include Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Francis Ford Coppola, Angelina Jolie, Spike Lee, Mel Brooks, and more.

Meanwhile, the 98th annual Academy Awards is scheduled for March 15, 2026.