Names and faces

■ The Academy Awards will present Samuel L. Jackson, Elaine May, and Liv Ullmann with honorary Oscars and Danny Glover with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 12th Governors Awards in January. The film academy announced the honorary awards Thursday. Once a regular feature of the Academy Awards telecast, the honorary Oscars will be presented in a separate, untelevised ceremony on January 15 in Los Angeles. “Sam Jackson is a cultural icon whose dynamic work has resonated across genres and generations and audiences worldwide, while Elaine May’s bold, uncompromising approach to filmmaking, as a writer, director and actress, reverberates as loudly as ever with movie lovers,” said David Rubin, academy president. “Liv Ullmann’s bravery and emotional transparency has gifted audiences with deeply affecting screen portrayals, and Danny Glover’s decades-long advocacy for justice and human rights reflects his dedication to recognizing our shared humanity on and off the screen.” The honorary awards are given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the academy. None of the recipients have previously received an Academy Award. Jackson, 72, was nominated for supporting actor for 1994’s “Pulp Fiction.” May, 89, was nominated twice for writing (1978’s “Heaven Can Wait,” with Warren Beatty; and 1999’s “Primary Colors”. Ullmann was twice nominated for best actress: Ingmar Berman’s “Face to Face” (1976) and Jan Troell’s “The Emigrants” (1971). Glover, 74, who hasn’t been nominated by the academy. has starred in “The Color Purple,” “To Sleep With Anger,” “A Rage in Harlem” and the “Lethal Weapon” series.

■ President Joe Biden’s sister, confidante and longtime political strategist, Valerie Biden Owens, has a book deal. Celadon Books said on Thursday that Owens’ “Growing Up Biden” will come out on April 12, 2022. She is expected to cover everything from her childhood as the only girl among four siblings to her “trailblazing, decades-long professional relationship” with Biden, 78, who has referred to Owens as his best friend. Vogue magazine last year dubbed her “The Joe Biden Whisperer.” The 75-year-old Owens has been working with her older brother for virtually his entire career, dating back to high school in Delaware. She managed his winning 1972 run for the U.S. Senate and his unsuccessful presidential bids in 1988 and 2008 and was a top adviser in the 2020 election. She also has been closely involved with his own family, quitting her job as a teacher and moving in with him for four years so she could care for his two sons after he lost his first wife and 13-month old daughter in a 1972 car accident. Financial terms were not disclosed.