‘The 51st AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Eddie Murphy’ Sets Netflix Premiere Date

Netflix will stream The 51st AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute To Eddie Murphy beginning May 31, over a month after the April 18 gala tribute in his honor at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the company announced today.

The American Film Institute has been presenting its AFI Life Achievement Award to entertainment luminaries going all the way back to 1973, when it was presented to filmmaker John Ford. Murphy was tapped for the award last November and is recognized following the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Nicole Kidman, and Julie Andrews.

AFI’s Dolby tribute will recognize Murphy for a five-decade career in film, television and stand-up comedy. One of the most commercially successful actors in film history, Murphy is on the very short list of actors who have starred in multiple $100 million pictures over the past three decades, from Beverly Hills Cop to Daddy Day Care. The 64-year-old comedy icon comes to the honor after opening up about his life and career in the Netflix doc Being Eddie, and following roles in such films for the service as Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, You People, and Dolemite Is My Name.

“AFI is grateful to Ted Sarandos and the talented team at Netflix for the opportunity to share this proud tradition with the world,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale. “And to do so in honor of Eddie Murphy will allow us to shine a proper light on the impact of art at a time the world needs it most.”

Proceeds from the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute Gala will support AFI’s education and arts initiatives. Most recently seen starring opposite Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer in the Amazon action comedy The Pickup, Murphy is set to reprise his voice role of Donkey in Shrek 5, out in 2027. Upcoming, he’s also attached to play Inspector Clouseau in a new Pink Panther movie from Amazon MGM.