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BEVERLY HILLS — Robert Redford is getting an honorary Academy Award. 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Friday that its Board of Governors chose Redford for an honorary Oscar with the inscription, “Robert Redford — Actor, Director, Producer, Creator of Sundance, inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere.” 

Honorary Oscars are given for “exceptional distinction in the making of motion pictures or for outstanding service to the Academy.” Previous recipients include Ernest Lehman, Stanley Donen, Deborah Kerr, Federico Fellini, Ralph Bellamy, Michael Kidd, Alex North and Hal Roach. Redford’s award will be presented during the March 24 Academy Awards. 

“Bob’s dedication to independent filmmaking has had an enormously positive impact on the motion picture industry since he created Sundance 20 years ago, and young filmmakers for years to come will continue to benefit from the training that his institute provides and the world-class showcase that his festival offers,” academy president Frank Pierson said. 

Since his acting debut in the 1962 drama “War Hunt,” Redford has appeared in more than 35 films including “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “The Way We Were,” “All the President’s Men” and “The Sting.” He was nominated for an acting Oscar for “The Sting.” 

Redford won an Academy Award in 1980 for directing “Ordinary People” and he was nominated twice in 1994 for producing and directing best-picture nominee “Quiz Show.”