Tom Cruise to receive 2027 AFI Life Achievement Award

Tom Cruise will receive the 52nd AFI Life Achievement Award, the American Film Institute announced on Wednesday. The AFI Board of Trustees will present the honour at a gala tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, 24 April 2027. The institute calls it the highest honour for a career in film. 'Tom Cruise is a global icon,' Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI Board of Trustees, said in a statement. 'As an actor and producer, he brings an extraordinary commitment to everything he does.' She said she especially admires his deep belief in movies and their ability to bring people together, and called that passion what has made him 'an extraordinary ambassador for American film around the world'. The gala will feature clips of his work, tributes from friends and collaborators, and an acceptance speech from Cruise, 64. Over a career of more than four decades, Cruise's films have grossed nearly $13 billion worldwide. He has earned three Oscar nominations as an actor, for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, and a Best Picture nomination as a producer on Top Gun: Maverick. His credits include the Mission: Impossible franchise, Top Gun, A Few Good Men, Rain Man and Interview with the Vampire. The recognition comes as he stars in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Digger, which has had a rocky box office run. The film opened to about $8 million domestically on 2 October, though Cruise's performance has drawn awards attention and been described as one of the biggest swings of his career. The AFI Board of Trustees chooses one honouree a year, someone whose talent has 'in a fundamental way advanced the film art'.