Eddie Murphy is set to receive the American Film Institute’s prestigious Life Achievement Award, the AFI Board of Trustees announced on Friday. The honor will be presented during a gala tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18.
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“Eddie Murphy is an American icon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. “A trailblazing force in the art forms of film, television and stand-up comedy, his versatility knows no bounds.”
Murphy, 64, has been a defining figure in entertainment for nearly five decades, rising to fame as a teenage stand-up prodigy, becoming a breakout star on “Saturday Night Live,” and leading multiple box office hits across the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. His enduring classics include Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, and the Shrek franchise. He earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for Dreamgirls, after already winning the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards for the role.
In the new Netflix documentary Being Eddie, Murphy reflects on his career and the awards he has accumulated — and missed. Regarding his Oscar loss, he joked that he was more frustrated about having to dress up for the ceremony than not taking home the trophy. “It’s always wonderful to win stuff, but if I don’t win, I don’t give a (expletive),” he said. “I’m still Eddie in the morning.”
Murphy was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 2023 Golden Globes, where he delivered a brief two-minute speech. Speaking to The Associated Press in 2021, he said his perspective on fame has changed over time. “You take everything for granted when you’re young, how successful I was,” he said. “Now I take nothing for granted and appreciate everything.”
AFI’s annual tributes are known for attracting major Hollywood figures. Last year’s celebration for Francis Ford Coppola drew Steven Spielberg, Robert De Niro, and Harrison Ford, among others.
Murphy becomes the 51st recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award, which was first presented in 1973 to director John Ford. Recent honorees include Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, and Denzel Washington.
