Golden Globes Honors Oprah Winfrey With Cecil B. DeMille Award

By Sameer Rao Dec 14, 2017

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) honors Oprah Winfrey‘s widespread impact on popular entertainment with its Cecil B. DeMille Award. The media mogul and actress will receive it at the 75th Golden Globe Awards on January 7.

Deadline reported yesterday (December 13) that Winfrey is the first Black woman to be honored with the award. Previous Black honorees include Sidney Poitier ("Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner") in 1982, Morgan Freeman ("Going in Style") in 2012 and Denzel Washington ("Roman J. Israel, Esq.") in 2016.

Freeman announced Winfrey’s award in a brief segment during the "Golden Globe 75th Anniversary Special" on NBC last night.

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to announce Oprah Winfrey as the recipient of the 2018 Cecil B. DeMille Award," writes HFPA president Meher Tatna in a statement. "As a global media leader, philanthropist, producer and actress, she has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world, making her one of the most respected and admired figures today. For generations, Oprah has celebrated strong female characters on and off screen and has been a role model for women and young girls for decades. Holding titles such as chairman, CEO and founder, Oprah is one of the most influential women of our time, and this honor is well deserved especially in this 75th anniversary year of the Golden Globe Awards.”

The HFPA established the award in 1952 to recognize, as described on GoldenGlobes.com, "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment." It is named after its first recipient, late director Cecil B. DeMille ("Sunset Boulevard").