Tom Cruise will receive the American Film Institute’s 52nd Life Achievement Award, the AFI Board of Trustees announced Wednesday. The gala tribute is set for Saturday, April 24, 2027 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, per Deadline.
AFI calls the award the highest honor for a career in film. Board chair Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement that Cruise is a global icon and that his belief in movies bringing people together has made him an ambassador for American film.
Cruise has three acting Oscar nominations, for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, and a Best Picture nomination as a producer of Top Gun: Maverick, according to TheWrap. That film grossed $1.5 billion and is the highest-grossing of his career. His films have earned nearly $13 billion worldwide. In 2025 he received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, per AFI.
Recent AFI honorees include Eddie Murphy, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney and Diane Keaton. The award was first given to John Ford in 1973. Proceeds from the gala support AFI’s education and arts programs. Cruise’s latest film is Digger.