Bruce Springsteen to Receive Legacy Award & Perform at 2025 Motion Picture Academy Museum Gala

Bruce Springsteen will receive the inaugural Legacy Award at the fifth annual Academy Museum Gala, presented by The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The Boss is also slated to perform at the fundraising event, which will be held on Oct. 18 in Los Angeles. The Legacy Award “honors an artist whose body of work has inspired generations of storytellers and deeply influenced our culture,” according to the press release.

Springsteen, 75, won an Oscar for best original song in 1994 for “Streets of Philadelphia” from Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia. He was nominated again in the category two years later for “Dead Man Walkin’” from Tim Robbins’ Dead Man Walking.

The event’s other honorees are Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, 51, who won an Oscar in 2009 for best supporting actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Brazilian director Walter Salles, 69; and actor and comedian Bowen Yang, 34.

Cruz will receive the Icon Award, which “celebrates an artist whose career has had a significant global impact.” Salles will receive the Luminary Award, which is “given to an artist whose singular contributions have expanded the creative possibilities of filmmaking.” Yang will receive the Vantage Award, which is “given to an emerging artist who is helping to challenge dominant narratives around cinema.”

“The Academy Museum Gala is a special evening dedicated to bringing together individuals to champion the celebration, advancement and preservation of cinema,” Academy Museum director and president Amy Homma said in a statement. “As we gather for a fifth year, we are honored to recognize Penélope Cruz, Walter Salles, Bruce Springsteen and Bowen Yang — storytellers whose influence has been proven to resonate in film and beyond.”

The event will help raise funds to support museum exhibitions, education initiatives and public programming, including screenings, K–12 programs and access initiatives in service of the public and the local community of Los Angeles. Last year’s gala raised more than $11 million.

Supported by Rolex, the exclusive presenting partner and founding supporter of the Academy Museum, the gala is co-chaired by Jon M. Chu; Common; Viola Davis and Julius Tennon; Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey; Jennifer Hudson; and Academy Museum trustee Alejandro Ramírez Magaña.

Here’s a recap of the honorees at previous Academy Museum Gala events.

2024: Paul Mescal, Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino

2023: Meryl Streep, Michael B. Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Sofia Coppola

2022: Julia Roberts, Miky Lee, Sir Steve McQueen, Tilda Swinton

2021: Haile Gerima and Sophia Loren as well as Academy Museum campaign leaders Annette Bening, Bob Iger and Tom Hanks