AFI Life Achievement Award

The AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the board of directors of the American Film Institute on February 26, 1973, to honor a single individual for his or her lifetime contribution to enriching American culture through motion pictures and television. The recipient is selected and honored at a ceremony annually, with the award presented by a master of ceremonies and recently, the prior year's recipient, who usually gives a brief synopsis of the awarded individual and career background including highlights and achievements.
The trustees initially specified that the recipient must be one who fundamentally advanced the art of film and whose achievements had been acknowledged by the general public as well as by film scholars and critics and the individual's peers. The trustees also specified that the work of the recipient must have withstood the test of time.
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 pictures."
President Richard 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 Steven Spielberg.
Oldest and youngest recipients.
Oldest.
Lillian Gish, nicknamed "The First Lady of American Cinema" was an screen and stage actress, director and writer who had started her career in 1912 during the silent film period and was best known for her starring role in D.W. Griffith seminal piece The Birth of a Nation in 1915, was the oldest recipient of the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award, when in 1984, was honoured at the age of 90, she retired three years later in 1987 with her final film "The Whales of August", starring opposite Bette Davis after a career spanning some 75 years and died in 1993 aged 99.
Mel Brooks, a film producer, director, actor, writer, comedian and composer is the oldest male recipient receiving the honour in 2013, aged 86.
Youngest.
Director Steven Spielberg presented actor Tom Hanks with the award in 2002, aged 46 he was the youngest recipient ever.
The youngest female was Meryl Streep in 2004 aged 54.
Televised broadcast.
All Life Achievement Award ceremonies have been televised on major TV networks and cable channels: CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, USA, TV Land, TNT and TBS. 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 government.
Out of the 48 honourees only ten have been women: Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, Barbara Stanwyck, Elizabeth Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Julie Andrews.
Recipients.
The American Film Institute has awarded the AFI Life Achievement Award to one person each year since 1973. The 48th Award will be presented to Julie Andrews in Los Angeles on November 11th, 2021. The event was originally scheduled for April 25th, 2020, with a broadcast on May 7 on TNT, but the event was postponed for 2021, due to concerns of 'the rapidly evolving nature of current events' regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. This marks the first time an AFI Life Achievement Award event was delayed.