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AFI Life Achievement Award

Award given by the American Film Institute

Field	Value
name	AFI Life Achievement Award
image	American Film Institute (AFI) logo.svg
caption	Logo of AFI
awarded_for	Honoring an individual whose lifetime contribution in motion pictures and television has enriched American culture.
presenter	American Film Institute
date
location	Los Angeles
reward	Trophy
holder	Francis Ford Coppola
year
website
network	TNT

The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the board of directors of the American Film Institute (AFI) on February 26, 1973, to honor a single individual for their lifetime contribution to enriching American culture through motion pictures and television. The recipient is selected and honored at an annual ceremony, with the award presented by a master of ceremonies and, recently, the prior year's recipient.

The AFI's trustees initially specified that "The recipient must be one who fundamentally advanced the art of film and whose achievements had been acknowledged by film scholars, critics, their individual peers and the general public". The trustees also specified "That the work of the recipient must have withstood the test of time".

History of the award

Director John Ford was the unanimous choice of the board of trustees for the first award as he "clearly stands preeminent in the history of motion pictures."

President Richard Nixon attended the gala dinner at which Ford was presented the award on March 31, 1973.

The board of trustees later amended the "test of time" requirement to enable the AFI Life Achievement Award to be presented to individuals with active careers, such as Steven Spielberg.

Trivia and firsts

Lillian Gish was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1984, aged 90, becoming the oldest recipient of the prize; Mel Brooks was the oldest male recipient, awarded at age 86 in 2013. Tom Hanks was awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2002, becoming the youngest recipient of the prize at age 46, and Meryl Streep was the youngest female, awarded at age 54 in 2004.

Of the 50 honorees eleven have been women: Bette Davis (the first female recipient), Lillian Gish, Barbara Stanwyck, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Julie Andrews, and Nicole Kidman.

Composer John Williams was the first award recipient not to be an actor or director.

Three sets of family members have received the award: father and son Kirk and Michael Douglas, father and daughter Henry and Jane Fonda, and siblings Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine.

Julie Andrews' award event was originally scheduled for April 25, 2020, with a broadcast on May 7 on TNT, but the event was postponed to 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the first time an AFI Life Achievement Award event was delayed. The event was rescheduled for November 11, 2021, before it was postponed a second time on October 4, 2021.

Nicole Kidman’s ceremony was originally scheduled for June 10, 2023, but was postponed due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Kidman is also the first Australian actress to receive the award, and the third non-American actress to be honored after British stars Elizabeth Taylor and Julie Andrews.

Televised broadcast

All Life Achievement Award ceremonies have been televised on major TV networks and cable channels: CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, USA, TV Land, TNT, and TBS. Agreeing to appear at the televised ceremony is part of the AFI's criteria for selecting the award. The televised ceremony generates income for the AFI, no longer funded by the US government.

Recipients

The American Film Institute has awarded one person the AFI Life Achievement Award each year since 1973. The 51st Award will be presented to Eddie Murphy in Los Angeles on April 18th, 2026.

#	Year	Honoree	Image	Profession	Age	Date of Ceremony	Network	Award Presenter/Host
1	1973	[[File:John Ford 1946.jpg	100px]]	Director	79	March 31, 1973	CBS	Danny Kaye
2	1974	[[File:James cagney promo photo (cropped, centered).jpg	100px]]	Actor	74	March 31, 1974	CBS	Frank Sinatra
3	1975	[[File:Orson Welles 1937.jpg	100px]]	Actor, director, screenwriter	59	February 9, 1975	CBS	Frank Sinatra
4	1976	[[File:William Wyler portrait.jpg	100px]]	Director	73	March 9, 1976	CBS	Gregory Peck
5	1977	[[File:Bette Davis - portrait.jpg	100px]]	Actress	68	March 1, 1977	CBS	Jane Fonda
6	1978	[[File:Henry Fonda, 1940.jpg	100px]]	Actor	72	March 15, 1978	CBS
7	1979	[[File:Hitchcock, Alfred 02.jpg	100px]]	Director	79	March 7, 1979	CBS	Ingrid Bergman
8	1980	[[File:Annex - Stewart, James (Call Northside 777) 01.jpg	100px]]	Actor	71	March 16, 1980	CBS	Henry Fonda
9	1981	[[File:Astaire, Fred - Never Get Rich.jpg	100px]]	Actor	81	April 10, 1981	CBS	David Niven
10	1982	[[File:Frank Capra.jpg	100px]]	Director	84	March 4, 1982	CBS	James Stewart
11	1983	[[File:John Huston - publicity.JPG	100px]]	Actor, director, screenwriter	76	March 3, 1983	CBS	Lauren Bacall
12	1984	[[File:Lillian Gish-edit1.jpg	100px]]	Actress	90	March 1, 1984	CBS	Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
13	1985	[[File:Gene kelly.jpg	100px]]	Actor, director	72	March 7, 1985	CBS	Shirley MacLaine
14	1986	[[File:Billy Wilder.jpg	100px]]	Director, screenwriter	79	March 6, 1986	NBC	Jack Lemmon
15	1987	[[File:BarbaraS39.jpg	100px]]	Actress	79	April 9, 1987	ABC	Jane Fonda
16	1988	[[File:Jack Lemmon - 1968.jpg	100px]]	Actor	63	March 10, 1988	CBS	Julie Andrews
17	1989	[[File:Peck The Valley of Decision.jpg	100px]]	Actor	72	March 9, 1989	NBC	Audrey Hepburn
18	1990	[[File:Lean-in-Joensuu-1965 CROPPED.jpg	100px]]	Director, screenwriter	82	March 8, 1990	ABC	Gregory Peck
19	1991	[[File:studio publicity Kirk Douglas.jpg	100px]]	Actor	74	March 7, 1991	CBS	Michael Douglas
20	1992	[[File:Sidney Poitier 1968.jpg	100px]]	Actor, director	65	March 12, 1992	NBC	Harry Belafonte
21	1993	[[File:Elizabeth Taylor, late 1950s.jpg	100px]]	Actress	61	March 11, 1993	ABC	Carol Burnett
22	1994	[[File:Jack Nicholson 2002 (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Actor	56	March 3, 1994	CBS	Mike Nichols
23	1995	[[File:Steven Spielberg Masterclass Cinémathèque Française 2.jpg	100px]]	Director	48	March 2, 1995	NBC	Sidney Sheinberg
24	1996	[[File:Clint Eastwood J. Edgar Premier, November 2011 (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Actor, director	65	February 29, 1996	ABC	Steven Spielberg
25	1997	[[File:Martin Scorsese by David Shankbone.jpg	100px]]	Director, screenwriter	54	February 20, 1997	CBS	Gregory Peck
26	1998	[[File:Robert wise 1990.jpg	100px]]	Director	83	February 19, 1998	NBC	Julie Andrews
27	1999	[[File:Dustin Hoffman Cannes 2017.jpg	100px]]	Actor	61	February 18, 1999	ABC	Jack Nicholson
28	2000	[[File:Harrison Ford by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg	100px]]	Actor	57	February 17, 2000	CBS	George Lucas & Steven Spielberg
29	2001	[[File:Barbra Streisand with Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci (27806589237) (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Actress, director	58	February 22, 2001	Fox	Sidney Poitier
30	2002	[[File:Tom Hanks TIFF 2019.jpg	100px]]	Actor	46	June 24, 2002	USA Network	Steven Spielberg
31	2003	[[File:Robert De Niro Cannes 2016.jpg	100px]]	Actor	59	June 12, 2003	USA Network	Martin Scorsese
32	2004	[[File:Meryl Streep December 2018 (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Actress	54	June 21, 2004	USA Network	Mike Nichols
33	2005	[[File:George Lucas cropped 2009.jpg	100px]]	Director, screenwriter	61	June 9, 2005	USA Network	Steven Spielberg
34	2006	[[File:Sean Connery (1983).jpg	100px]]	Actor	75	June 8, 2006	USA Network	Harrison Ford
35	2007	[[File:Al Pacino 2016 (30401544240).jpg	100px]]	Actor	67	June 7, 2007	USA Network	Sean Penn
36	2008	[[File:Warren Beatty.jpg	100px]]	Actor, director, screenwriter	71	June 12, 2008	USA Network	Al Pacino
37	2009	[[File:Michael Douglas César 2016 3.jpg	100px]]	Actor	64	June 11, 2009	TV Land	Jack Nicholson
38	2010	[[File:Mike Nichols.jpg	100px]]	Director	78	June 10, 2010	TV Land	Meryl Streep
39	2011	[[File:Morgan Freeman Deauville 2018.jpg	100px]]	Actor	74	June 9, 2011	TV Land	Clint Eastwood
40	2012	[[File:Shirley MacLaine - 1960.jpg	100px]]	Actress	78	June 7, 2012	TV Land	Meryl Streep
41	2013	[[File:Mel Brooks.jpg	100px]]	Actor, director, screenwriter	86	June 15, 2013	TNT	Martin Scorsese
42	2014	[[File:Jane Fonda Cannes 2015.jpg	100px]]	Actress	76	June 13, 2014	TNT	Michael Douglas
43	2015	[[File:Steve Martin 2011.jpg	100px]]	Actor, screenwriter	69	June 4, 2015	TBS	Mel Brooks
44	2016	[[File:John Williams tux.jpg	100px]]	Composer	84	June 9, 2016	TNT	Steven Spielberg
45	2017	[[File:Diane Keaton 2012-1 (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Actress	71	June 8, 2017	TNT	Woody Allen
46	2018	[[File:George Clooney 2016.jpg	100px]]	Actor, director, screenwriter	57	June 7, 2018	TNT	Shirley MacLaine
47	2019	[[File:Denzel Washington 2018.jpg	100px]]	Actor	64	June 6, 2019	TNT	Spike Lee
NOT AWARDED
NOT AWARDED
48	2022	[[File:Julie Andrews Park Hyatt, Sydney, Australia 2013.jpg	100px]]	Actress	86	June 9, 2022	TNT	Carol Burnett
NOT AWARDED
49	2024	[[File:Nicole Kidman Cannes 2017.jpg	100px]]	Actress	56	April 27, 2024	TNT	Meryl Streep
50	2025	[[File:Francis_Ford_Coppola_(33906700778)_(cropped).jpg	100px]]	Director, screenwriter	86	April 26, 2025	TNT	George Lucas & Steven Spielberg
51	2026	[[File:Eddie_Murphy_by_David_Shankbone.jpg	100px]]	Actor	65	April 18, 2026	TBD	TBD

Notes

References

"History of AFI". American Film Institute.
"The AFI Life Achievement Awards". American Film Institute.
"Julie Andrews to Receive 48th AFI Life Achievement Award".
"AFI Tribute to Julie Andrews Postponed".
"The 48th AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute to Julie Andrews Rescheduled".
Gardner, Chris. (November 22, 2022). "Nicole Kidman to Receive AFI Life Achievement Award".
(13 November 2023). "AFI Gala Honoring Nicole Kidman Rescheduled for 2024 – Film News in Brief".
Kreeps, Daniel. (April 28, 2024). "Nicole Kidman Becomes First Australian to Earn AFI Life Achievement Award".
(2025-11-21). "EDDIE MURPHY TO RECEIVE 51st AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD".
"AFI Achievement".

Info: Wikipedia Source

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