AceShowbiz -

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored four cinematic titans at the Governor's Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 8. Among the honorees was actor and musician Harry Belafonte, who gave a powerful speech about Hollywood and the civilization.

Belafonte was handed the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his activism. The 87-year-old was famous for supporting Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights campaigner's fighting days. He also worked for UNICEF and joined campaigns against HIV in Africa and prostate cancer.

"Artists are the radical voice of civilization," Belafonte said. "I really wish I could be around for the rest of this century, to see what Hollywood does with the rest of the century. Maybe, just maybe, it could be civilization's game changer."

The "Bobby" star also said, "Each and every one of you in this room, with your gifts, your power and your skills, can perhaps change the way in which our global humanity mistrusts itself. Perhaps we as artists and visionaries can influence citizens everywhere in the world to see the better side of what we are as a species."

Among those paying tribute to him were Susan Sarandon and director Steve McQueen. The latter said Belafonte "basically took those powers of celebrity and fame, and used them for a bigger cause than just his own."

The other honorees were Irish actress Maureen O'Hara, Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki and French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere.