Eddie Murphy is set to receive the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award on April 18 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, honoring a legacy that has shaped film, television, and comedy for five decades. AFI Board Chair Kathleen Kennedy praised Murphy as a true cultural cornerstone whose influence spans generations.
From Beverly Hills Cop to Daddy Day Care, Murphy remains one of the rare stars with multiple $100M hits across four consecutive decades. His recent work includes the Netflix documentary Being Eddie, Amazon’s The Pickup, the holiday film Candy Cane Lane, and his acclaimed role as Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name, which earned several major award nominations.
Murphy’s accolades include an Emmy for his return to Saturday Night Live, the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award, and an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls. He now joins a prestigious list of past AFI honorees including Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, and Francis Ford Coppola.
Proceeds from the AFI Tribute Gala will support the organization’s ongoing mission to advance film education and preserve the art of the moving image.