Eddie Murphy to Receive the AFI Honorary Award
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the American Film Institute (AFI) will present its 51st Honorary Award to Eddie Murphy. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on April 18, 2026, in Los Angeles.
Colin Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, says Eddie Murphy is “an American icon” and “a pioneering force across the art forms of film, television, and stand-up comedy.” He adds that Murphy’s five decades of artistic work have had a “lasting” impact on culture and continue to inspire artists around the world.
Before Murphy, artists such as Francis Ford Coppola, Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Diane Keaton, John Williams, Steve Martin, Jane Fonda, and Mel Brooks had received this award. The very first AFI Honorary Award was presented to John Ford in 1973, followed in later years by figures such as James Cagney, Orson Welles, Frank Capra, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Jack Lemmon, and many others.
Murphy—best known for films such as Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America—recently appeared in the Netflix documentary Being Eddie and in Amazon’s The Pickup. Prior to that, he was seen in Netflix’s Candy Cane Lane and You People. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Dolemite Is My Name and won an Emmy in 2020 for Outstanding Guest Actor for his appearance on Saturday Night Live. Two years ago, Murphy also took the stage at the Golden Globes to receive the honorary Cecil B. DeMille Award.
The American Film Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving cinematic works.
