Jackie Chan, other film veterans get honorary Oscars

LOS ANGELES -- The president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said the recipients of its 2016 honorary Oscars instilled a love of cinema in future filmmakers.

President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said Saturday night actor Jackie Chan, film editor Anne V. Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentarian Frederick Wiseman "inspire the next generation with that same sense of wonder and enchantment that first touched us as kids."

Jeff Bridges and Warren Beatty were among the stars greeting Stalmaster, who was the first person to receive an Oscar for casting.

Honorary Oscars used to be presented during the annual Academy Awards ceremony and to generally recognized talents. Establishing the untelevised Governors Awards ceremony allows for more comprehensive presentations and more diverse recipients.

Chan said as an action star, despite his decades in film, he never expected to win an Oscar.

Previous recipients included stuntman Hal Needham, independent filmmaker Roger Corman and studio chief John Calley, as well as Steve Martin, Spike Lee and Lauren Bacall.

Stalmaster -- whose casting credits include "West Side Story," "The Graduate," and "The Right Stuff" -- will become the first to receive an Oscar for casting. No casting category exists at the Academy Awards.

"This is exactly what the Governors Awards are meant to do," said David Rubin, who is producing this year's ceremony at Hollywood & Highland's Ray Dolby Ballroom. "It's a look at entire careers."