Eddie Murphy has been named the 51st recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award, the American Film Institute announced. The award will be presented at a gala tribute on April 18 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Kathleen Kennedy, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, praised Murphy as an American icon whose versatility in film, television and stand-up comedy has inspired artists and audiences for five decades. Murphy joins a list of past honorees including Francis Ford Coppola, Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews and Denzel Washington.
Murphy has starred in numerous box office hits such as Beverly Hills Cop and Daddy Day Care, and recently appeared in Netflix's Dolemite Is My Name, for which he earned Golden Globe nominations. He won an Emmy in 2020 for his guest role on Saturday Night Live and received the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.
Proceeds from the gala will support AFI's education and arts initiatives. The institute, a nonprofit organisation, champions the moving image as an art form.
