Will Smith, who was passed over for an Oscar nomination for his work in “Concussion,” contributing to the furor over this year’s all-white slate of Academy Award acting nominees, will receive the MTV Movie Awards’ highest honor, the network announced Thursday.
Smith will receive the Generation Award, which recognizes a performer “who creates an amazing body of work throughout their career that speaks directly to the MTV audience.”
“Will Smith and MTV have grown up together and share a very cool history,” executive producer Casey Patterson said. “MTV was a part of every phase of Will’s career and he has been a huge part of what defined the MTV culture from the beginning. From TV’s ‘Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ to his music and amazing movies, Will is the voice of a generation and not afraid to use it.”
Smith has won five MTV Movie Awards during his career, including best male performance honors for “I Am Legend” and “Ali.” he also hosted the 1994 MTV Movie Awards.
Previous recipients of the Generation Award include Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Johnny Depp, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Tom Cruise and Sandra Bullock.
The MTV Movie Awards will be taped April 9 at the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank. The show will air April 10.
