Award-winning actress Viola Davis and film editor/sound designer Walter Murch will be presented with honorary degrees by the American Film Institute for their impact on the industry, the institute announced Tuesday.
Davis and Murch will receive a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree “for contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image,” according to AFI.
“Viola Davis and Walter Murch — both masters of their craft — symbolize the standard of excellence AFI was founded to celebrate,” Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO, said in a statement. “Their contributions to the art form have inspired audiences around the world — as they will inspire this year’s graduates of the AFI Conservatory.”
The honorary degrees will be conferred during the Aug. 8 AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Davis is a rare EGOT winner, having scored an Emmy Award for “How to Get Away with Murder,” a Grammy for her recorded memoir “Finding Me,” an Oscar for “Fences” and Tony Awards for “Fences” and “King Hedley II.”
Murch won an Oscar for his work on “Apocalypse Now,” then won two for “The English Patient,” scoring a rare double win for both sound and film editing.
Previous AFI honorary degree recipients include Mel Brooks, Robert Altman, Carol Burnett, Maya Angelou, Jodie Foster, Angela Lansbury, Spike Lee, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Cicely Tyson, John Williams and Quentin Tarantino.