Steven Spielberg, making his first public appearance after undergoing surgery, will pick up a statuette when the 31st NAACP Image Awards program is broadcast Thursday, April 6, on Fox TV. Spielberg won the Vanguard Award in recognition of his “courage to promote social justice through his creative endeavors.”

The two-hour special was taped in Pasadena, Calif., in February. Spielberg had been released from the hospital two days earlier after surgery to remove one of his kidneys.

Others who were honored included Halle Berry for the HBO special “Introducing Dorothy Dandridge.” The film won for Outstanding Television Movie/Mini-Series/Dramatic Special, and Berry was named Outstanding Actress in the category. The cable movie also won her the Entertainer of the Year honor.

The big film winner was “The Best Man,” written and directed by Malcolm Lee. It was picked as Outstanding Motion Picture. The film also won the Outstanding Actress award for Nia Long and the Best Supporting Actor award for Terrence Howard. Denzel Washington walked away with the Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award for “The Hurricane.”

Eric LaSalle (“ER”) and Della Reese (“Touched by an Angel”) won for outstanding actor and actress in a Television Drama