Tom Cruise to receive 52nd AFI Life Achievement Award

Tom Cruise will receive the 52nd AFI Life Achievement Award.

The star joins a past roster of honourees that includes Hollywood greats from Bette Davis and Gregory Peck to Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton. His former wife Nicole Kidman won the gong in 2024.

The American Film Institute Board of Trustees made the announcement, dubbing the trophy "the highest honour for a career in film". The award will be presented to Cruise at a Gala Tribute at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 24 April 2027.

"Tom Cruise is a global icon," gushed Kathleen Kennedy, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees.

"As an actor and producer, he brings an extraordinary commitment to everything he does. What I especially admire is his deep belief in movies and their ability to bring people together. That passion has made him an extraordinary ambassador for American film around the world. It is AFI's honour to present him with the 52nd AFI Life Achievement Award."

A three-time Oscar nominee, Cruise counts an impressive roster of films among his credits including Risky Business, Top Gun, Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men, and the Mission: Impossible series. He is currently starring in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Digger, a film that has been less successful than its financial backers would have liked.

Cruise is next set to return as Cole Trickle in Days of Thunder 2.