From “Being Eddie” to becoming a lifetime achievement award recipient, Eddie Murphy is having a great November.
Following the premiere of the Netflix documentary about his trailblazing career, the American Film Institute (AFI) Board of Trustees just announced on Friday, November 21, that the comedian and Oscar-nominated actor will receive the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award. It’s considered one of America’s highest honors for a career in film. The award will be presented at a gala tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18, 2026.
“Eddie Murphy is an American icon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees via statement. “A trailblazing force in the art forms of film, television, and stand-up comedy, his versatility knows no bounds. Across five decades, his enduring impact on our culture has inspired artists and audiences alike, and AFI is proud to honor him with the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award.”
At 64 years old, Eddie Murphy remains the most commercially successful African-American actor in the history of the motion picture business and is one of the industry’s top five box-office performers overall. Murphy is on the very short list of actors who have starred in multiple $100 million pictures over the past three decades, from “Beverly Hills Cop” to “Daddy Day Care.”
Having been the face of comedy in the 1980s, from his characters on “Saturday Night Live” to his blockbuster standup specials “Raw” and “Delirious,” Murphy went on to be a pioneering leading man with hits like “48 Hrs,” “Trading Places,” and “Coming to America.” He has also voiced several iconic animated characters in films like “Mulan” and “Shrek.”
In 2007, Murphy received rave reviews for his performance in the movie musical “Dreamgirls,” earning him a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and a Critics Choice Award. He has since also received a Golden Globe nomination for the Netflix film “Dolemite Is My Name” in 2019, and the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden Globes in 2023.
The American Film Institute is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. All proceeds from its 51st AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute Gala will support AFI’s education and arts initiatives.
Murphy joins five decades of past Life Achievement Award honorees, with George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Julie Andrews, Nicole Kidman, and Francis Ford Coppola being the most recent recipients of the award.