American actor and film producer Tom Cruise will receive an honorary Oscar ahead of the 2026 Academy Awards ceremony, organizers announced Tuesday, the first time in the Hollywood veteran's career.

Cruise was chosen to receive a statuette for his contributions to cinema alongside choreographer Debbie Allen and producer Wynn Thomas.

Dolly Parton will also be honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her decades of humanitarian work, with the trophies to be presented at the 16th Academy's Governors Honors ceremony in November.

Cruise, 62, has four Oscar nominations but has never won the prestigious prize, despite achieving worldwide fame for his roles in action movies "Mission Impossible" and "Top Gun".

"Tom Cruise's incredible devotion and dedication to our film community, to the theatrical experience and to the stunt community has inspired us all," the Academy said in a statement.

He was referred to as "one of the most recognized and highest-grossing actors of all time" and his drive to perform all stunts himself was noted. 

Allen, 75, was recognized for her five-decade career, which includes choreographing the Academy Awards ceremony seven times and working on films including the 1995 romantic comedy Forget Paris.

Meanwhile, Thomas was honored for his production work on titles such as "Malcolm X" and "Do What You Gotta Do." I AFP, BGNES