Carrie Fisher and her Star Wars sidekick Mark Hamill are to be honoered as Disney Legends later this year (17).
The late actress and her movie brother will join Marvel comics mastermind Stan Lee, Oprah Winfrey and late director Garry Marshall as recipients of the prize at the D23 Expo.
Fisher and Hamill are being recognized by the company for their roles as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies, which began in 1977. Disney purchased the rights to the films from George Lucas in 2012.
The Disney Legends ceremony will be hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger on 14 July (17).
“‘The Disney Legends Award is the highest honor our company can bestow on an individual, reserved for those few who have truly made an indelible mark on the history of The Walt Disney Company,” Iger says in a statement. “It’s a celebration of talent, a recognition of achievement, and an expression of gratitude to the men and women whose work has significantly contributed to Disney’s enduring reputation for creative excellence.
“We couldn’t be more excited for these amazing artists to join past Disney Legends such as Julie Andrews, Alan Menken, Robin Williams and George Lucas.”
The Disney Legends are presented with a bronze statuette and they will have their handprints immortalized in bronze for display at the company’s studio base in Burbank, California.
Fisher and Hamill both reprise their Star Wars characters in the upcoming Disney film Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which was Carrie’s last movie. The actress died in December (16), days after suffering a massive heart attack.
