The American Film Institute announced today that Eddie Murphy will receive the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award. The honor will be presented at a gala tribute on April 18, 2026 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Murphy will join a prestigious roster of past recipients, including Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Julie Andrews, Nicole Kidman, and Francis Ford Coppola.
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“Eddie Murphy is an American icon. A trailblazing force in the art forms of film, television, and stand-up comedy, his versatility knows no bounds,” AFI Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Kennedy says in a statement.
The recognition highlights a career that began with Murphy bursting onto the national scene as a 19-year-old phenomenon on Saturday Night Live. Murphy’s first major films — 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop — made him one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, a status he maintained through the ’80s and ’90s with hits including Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, and the Shrek franchise. He currently can be seen in the Netflix documentary Being Eddie.
Murphy’s awards history includes the 2020 Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his return to Saturday Night Live. In 2023, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honored him with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Golden Globes’ highest honor, recognizing his contributions to film. Across his career, he has earned an Academy Award nomination, multiple Golden Globe nominations and wins, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which he received in 2015.
“Across five decades, his enduring impact on our culture has inspired artists and audiences alike,” said Kennedy. “AFI is proud to honor him with the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award.”
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