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 the American culture through motion pictures and television.
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. 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.
In 2026, Eddie Murphy's tribute was the first to be broadcast on Netflix.
Recipients
The American Film Institute has awarded one person the AFI Life Achievement Award each year since 1973. The 51st Award was presented to Eddie Murphy in Los Angeles on April 18, 2026. The ceremony will be televised on Netflix on May 31, 2026.
{| class="wikitable sortable sticky-header-multi"
|-
! scope="col"| #
! scope="col"| Year
! scope="col"| Honoree
! scope="col"| Image
! scope="col"| Profession
! scope="col"| Age
! scope="col"| Date of Ceremony
! scope="col"| Network
! scope="col"| Award Presenter/Host
|-
| 1
| 1973
! scope="row"| John Ford
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director
| 79
| March 31, 1973
| CBS
| Danny Kaye
|-
| 2
| 1974
! scope="row"| James Cagney
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 74
| March 31, 1974
| CBS
| Frank Sinatra
|-
| 3
| 1975
! scope="row"| Orson Welles
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director, screenwriter
| 59
| February 9, 1975
| CBS
| Frank Sinatra
|-
| 4
| 1976
! scope="row"| William Wyler
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director
| 73
| March 9, 1976
| CBS
| Gregory Peck
|-
| 5
| 1977
! scope="row"| Bette Davis
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 68
| March 1, 1977
| CBS
| Jane Fonda
|-
| 6
| 1978
! scope="row"| Henry Fonda
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 72
| March 15, 1978
| CBS
|
|-
| 7
| 1979
! scope="row"| Alfred Hitchcock
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director
| 79
| March 7, 1979
| CBS
| Ingrid Bergman
|-
| 8
| 1980
! scope="row"| James Stewart
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 71
| March 16, 1980
| CBS
| Henry Fonda
|-
| 9
| 1981
! scope="row"| Fred Astaire
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 81
| April 10, 1981
| CBS
| David Niven
|-
| 10
| 1982
! scope="row"| Frank Capra
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director
| 84
| March 4, 1982
| CBS
| James Stewart
|-
| 11
| 1983
! scope="row"| John Huston
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director, screenwriter
| 76
| March 3, 1983
| CBS
| Lauren Bacall
|-
| 12
| 1984
! scope="row"| Lillian Gish
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 90
| March 1, 1984
| CBS
| Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
|-
| 13
| 1985
! scope="row"| Gene Kelly
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director
| 72
| March 7, 1985
| CBS
| Shirley MacLaine
|-
| 14
| 1986
! scope="row"| Billy Wilder
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director, screenwriter
| 79
| March 6, 1986
| NBC
| Jack Lemmon
|-
| 15
| 1987
! scope="row"| Barbara Stanwyck
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 79
| April 9, 1987
| ABC
| Jane Fonda
|-
| 16
| 1988
! scope="row"| Jack Lemmon
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 63
| March 10, 1988
| CBS
| Julie Andrews
|-
| 17
| 1989
! scope="row"| Gregory Peck
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 72
| March 9, 1989
| NBC
| Audrey Hepburn
|-
| 18
| 1990
! scope="row"| David Lean
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director, screenwriter
| 82
| March 8, 1990
| ABC
| Gregory Peck
|-
| 19
| 1991
! scope="row"| Kirk Douglas
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 74
| March 7, 1991
| CBS
| Michael Douglas
|-
| 20
| 1992
! scope="row"| Sidney Poitier
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director
| 65
| March 12, 1992
| NBC
| Harry Belafonte
|-
| 21
| 1993
! scope="row"| Elizabeth Taylor
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 61
| March 11, 1993
| ABC
| Carol Burnett
|-
| 22
| 1994
! scope="row"| Jack Nicholson
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 56
| March 3, 1994
| CBS
| Mike Nichols
|-
| 23
| 1995
! scope="row"| Steven Spielberg
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director
| 48
| March 2, 1995
| NBC
| Sidney Sheinberg
|-
| 24
| 1996
! scope="row"| Clint Eastwood
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director
| 65
| February 29, 1996
| ABC
| Steven Spielberg
|-
| 25
| 1997
! scope="row"| Martin Scorsese
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director, screenwriter
| 54
| February 20, 1997
| CBS
| Gregory Peck
|-
| 26
| 1998
! scope="row"| Robert Wise
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director
| 83
| February 19, 1998
| NBC
| Julie Andrews
|-
| 27
| 1999
! scope="row"| Dustin Hoffman
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 61
| February 18, 1999
| ABC
| Jack Nicholson
|-
| 28
| 2000
! scope="row"| Harrison Ford
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 57
| February 17, 2000
| CBS
| George Lucas & Steven Spielberg
|-
| 29
| 2001
! scope="row"| Barbra Streisand
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress, director
| 58
| February 22, 2001
| Fox
| Sidney Poitier
|-
| 30
| 2002
! scope="row"| Tom Hanks
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 46
| June 24, 2002
| USA Network
| Steven Spielberg
|-
| 31
| 2003
! scope="row"| Robert De Niro
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 59
| June 12, 2003
| USA Network
| Martin Scorsese
|-
| 32
| 2004
! scope="row"| Meryl Streep
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 54
| June 21, 2004
| USA Network
| Mike Nichols
|-
| 33
| 2005
! scope="row"| George Lucas
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director, screenwriter
| 61
| June 9, 2005
| USA Network
| Steven Spielberg
|-
| 34
| 2006
! scope="row"| Sean Connery
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 75
| June 8, 2006
| USA Network
| Harrison Ford
|-
| 35
| 2007
! scope="row"| Al Pacino
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 67
| June 7, 2007
| USA Network
| Sean Penn
|-
| 36
| 2008
! scope="row"| Warren Beatty
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director, screenwriter
| 71
| June 12, 2008
| USA Network
| Al Pacino
|-
| 37
| 2009
! scope="row"| Michael Douglas
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 64
| June 11, 2009
| TV Land
| Jack Nicholson
|-
| 38
| 2010
! scope="row"| Mike Nichols
|100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director
| 78
| June 10, 2010
| TV Land
| Meryl Streep
|-
| 39
| 2011
! scope="row"| Morgan Freeman
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 74
| June 9, 2011
| TV Land
| Clint Eastwood
|-
| 40
| 2012
! scope="row"| Shirley MacLaine
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 78
| June 7, 2012
| TV Land
| Meryl Streep
|-
| 41
| 2013
! scope="row"| Mel Brooks
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director, screenwriter
| 86
| June 15, 2013
| TNT
| Martin Scorsese
|-
| 42
| 2014
! scope="row"| Jane Fonda
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 76
| June 13, 2014
| TNT
| Michael Douglas
|-
| 43
| 2015
! scope="row"| Steve Martin
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, screenwriter
| 69
| June 4, 2015
| TBS
| Mel Brooks
|-
| 44
| 2016
! scope="row"| John Williams
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Composer
|84
| June 9, 2016
| TNT
| Steven Spielberg
|-
| 45
| 2017
! scope="row"| Diane Keaton
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 71
| June 8, 2017
| TNT
| Woody Allen
|-
| 46
| 2018
! scope="row"| George Clooney
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor, director, screenwriter
| 57
| June 7, 2018
| TNT
| Shirley MacLaine
|-
| 47
| 2019
! scope="row"| Denzel Washington
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 64
| June 6, 2019
| TNT
| Spike Lee
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"|2020
| colspan=8 style="background:#FFAA00; text-align:center" | NOT AWARDED
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"|2021
| colspan=8 style="background:#FFAA00; text-align:center" | NOT AWARDED
|-
| 48
| 2022
! scope="row"| Julie Andrews
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 86
| June 9, 2022
| TNT
|Carol Burnett
|-
! scope="row" rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"|2023
| colspan=8 style="background:#FFAA00; text-align:center" | NOT AWARDED
|-
| 49
| 2024
! scope="row"| Nicole Kidman
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actress
| 56
| April 27, 2024
| TNT
| Meryl Streep
|-
| 50
| 2025
! scope="row"| Francis Ford Coppola
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Director, screenwriter
| 86
| April 26, 2025
| TNT
| George Lucas & Steven Spielberg
|-
| 51
| 2026
! scope="row"| Eddie Murphy
| 100px
| style="text-align:center"|Actor
| 65
| April 18, 2026
| Netflix
| Spike Lee
|-
|}
See also
- Cecil B. DeMille Award