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“Eddie Murphy is an American icon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, who
chairs the institute’s board of trustees. “A trailblazing force
in the art forms of film, television and stand-up comedy, his
versatility knows no bounds.”
Murphy, 64, has been a force in entertainment for nearly 50
years, as a teenage stand-up phenomenon, on television as a part
of the “Saturday Night Live” cast, and in film where he’s ruled
the box office in multiple decades, with hits like “Beverly
Hills Cop,” “Coming to America,” “The Nutty Professor” and the
“Shrek” movies. In 2007, he was nominated for a best supporting
actor Oscar for “Dreamgirls,” which had already earned him a
Screen Actors Guild award and a Golden Globe, but he didn’t win
the Academy Award.
In a new documentary about his life and career, “Being Eddie,”
which is currently streaming on Netflix, Murphy reflected that
he was more annoyed about having to put on a tux and go to the
event than he was about losing.
“It’s always wonderful to win stuff, but if I don’t win, I don’t
give a (expletive),” he said. “I’m still Eddie in the morning.”
In 2023, Murphy got the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Golden
Globes, where he kept his remarks to a speedy two minutes. He
told The Associated Press in 2021 that he has a different
perspective on things than he did during the height of his fame.
“You take everything for granted when you’re young, how
successful I was,” Murphy said. “Now I take nothing for granted
and appreciate everything.”
AFI’s gala tributes are often starry affairs. Last year at
Francis Ford Coppola’s dinner, Steven Spielberg, Robert De Niro
and Harrison Ford were among those who turned out to toast
Coppola.
Murphy is the 51st recipient of the AFI life achievement award,
which was first handed out in 1973 to John Ford. Other recent
honorees include Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews and Denzel
Washington.
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