AFI Life Achievement Award - History of The Award

History of The Award

Director John Ford was the unanimous choice of the Board of Trustees for the first award as he "clearly stands preeminent in the history of motion ." President Richard M. Nixon attended the gala dinner at which Ford was presented the award on March 31, 1973.

The Board of Trustees later amended the "test of time" requirement to enable the AFI Life Achievement Award to be presented to individuals with active careers, such as Tom Hanks, who at age 45, was the youngest recipient ever, and Steven Spielberg, who received the award at age 48.

All Life Achievement Award ceremonies have been televised. Agreeing to appear at the televised ceremony apparently is part of the AFI's criteria for selecting the award. The televised ceremony generates income for the AFI, which is no longer funded by the US federal government. Due to the exigencies of television, the popularity of the award recipient in terms of potential ratings likely is a factor in selecting the Life Achievement Award honoree, which could explain why it never has been awarded to such major American directors as Robert Altman and George Cukor, both of whom were Film Society of Lincoln Center Gala Tribute honorees, or such distinguished actors as Robert Redford, Gene Hackman and Doris Day, all of whom were recipients of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Cecil B. DeMille Award for life achievement. Of the first 40 honorees, only seven have been women: Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, Barbara Stanwyck, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine.

Politics also seems to be a factor in the award, as that likely was behind the notable omissions of Charles Chaplin, exiled from America during the Cold War for his left-wing sympathies, director Elia Kazan, controversial due to his testimony before the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Cold War, and Charlton Heston, whose presidency of the National Rifle Association made him unpopular in many circles, and Jane Fonda, whose activities during the Vietnam War are still controversial.

Other notable omissions were Claudette Colbert, Audrey Hepburn, Bob Hope, Paul Newman, Laurence Olivier (all of whom are recipients of a Lincoln Center Gala Tribute), Ingrid Bergman, Marlon Brando, Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, Myrna Loy, Stanley Kramer, Stanley Kubrick, Sidney Lumet and John Wayne.

Several living people who appeared in or directed films in the top 10 of the AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies list have yet to receive the award including Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Donen, Olivia de Havilland, Diane Keaton, Peter O'Toole, and Debbie Reynolds. Three living actresses who were listed on AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars have not received the award: Lauren Bacall, Sophia Loren and Shirley Temple.