Donald Sutherland is to receive an honorary Oscar

However, the board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have decided to finally honour the actor for his incredible contributions to cinema.

The Academy's new president John Bailey told The Hollywood Reporter: "Early in my career, I was the cinematographer on 'Ordinary People', and I remember when the nominations came out, I was shocked that Donald hadn't gotten one - and I've been shocked many times since then. When you look at the incredible variety of his work and the breadth of directors that he's worked with and he's never been nominated."

Donald joins writer-and-director Charles Burnett, cinematographer Owen Roizman and director Agnes Varda who will all be presented with an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards in November.

John continued: "It was incredibly appropriate for Donald to be honoured, as it was, for very different reasons for Charles Burnett, a director who has operated under the radar for decades, but who has been very influential - not just for African-American filmmakers, but for independent filmmakers, and he's still very active."

Charles is best known for his dramatization of African-American life in his 1997 debut feature 'Killer of Sheep' and has since worked on a number of documentaries including 'American Becoming' and 'Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property'.

Cinematographer Owen has contributed to a number of Oscar-nominated movies including 'The Exorcist' and 'Tootsie'.

Although Agnes is a fan favourite among the international film community, the Belgium filmmaker has produced a number of documentaries most recently 'Faces Places' which debuted at the Telluride Film Festival.

The honorary award is given "to honour extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture art and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy."