America’s Highest Honor for a Career in Film

to Be Presented at Gala Dinner on April 25, 2020

Tribute Will Premiere on TNT, Thursday, May 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, LOS ANGELES, CA, September 20, 2019 — The American Film Institute (AFI) Board of Trustees announced today that Dame Julie Andrews will be the recipient of the 48th AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film. The award will be presented to Andrews at a Gala Tribute on April 25, in Los Angeles, CA. The AFI Life Achievement Award has won Emmy^® Awards across five decades in its 48-year run and will return for its eighth year with TNT, followed by encore presentations on sister network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in the fall. Audi returns as an Official Sponsor of the event.

“Julie Andrews is practically perfect in every way,” said Kathleen Kennedy, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. “Her talents across time have inspired a shared sense of joy across generations, and her gifts to our cultural heritage are a testament to the power of this art form to bring us together when we need it most. AFI is proud to sing her praises with its 48th Life Achievement Award.”

A legendary actress of both stage and screen, Andrews has enchanted and delighted audiences around the world with her uplifting and inspiring body of work. She continues to captivate viewers in front of the camera, with her remarkable wit, characteristic grace and an incandescent and unmistakable voice all of her own — while also shining a light on humanitarian issues in her activism and philanthropic work.

A three-time Academy Award^® nominee, Andrews star turn in MARY POPPINS won her both a BAFTA and an Oscar^®. From her early debut as Polly Browne in “The Boyfriend” to her critically-acclaimed Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway hit “My Fair Lady” to her timeless performance as Maria von Trapp in THE SOUND OF MUSIC to her groundbreaking dual roles in the gender-bending VICTOR/VICTORIA, Andrews has proven herself an accomplished and versatile actress. Throughout an illustrious career that spans seven decades, she has won five Golden Globes, three Grammys^® and two Emmys^® for projects infused with her incomparable charm and recognized for their ability to enthrall audiences worldwide. The critically lauded Andrews is also a Kennedy Center honoree, a Disney Legend inductee and the recipient of a SAG Life Achievement Award.

On stage and screen, she has delivered transcendent performances known for their elegance, artistry and humor, with additional acting credits including: “Camelot” (1960), THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (1964), TORN CURTAIN (1966), HAWAII (1966), THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE (1967), STAR! (1968), 10 (1979), LITTLE MISS MARKER (1980), THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN (1983), DUET FOR ONE (1986), ENCHANTED (2007) and AQUAMAN (2018). She has also starred in multiple, successful franchises, including THE PRINCESS DIARIES 1 and 2 (2001); SHREK 2 (2004), SHREK THE THIRD (2007) and SHREK FOREVER AFTER (2010); and DESPICABLE ME (2010) and DESPICABLE ME 3 (2017) and the upcoming MINIONS. Recently, Andrews was cast in Shonda Rhimes’ new Netflix series BRIDGERTON to play a sharp-tongued gossip writer in Regency London, marking her continued evolution as an actress and icon. Andrews’ second memoir, “Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years” — a follow-up to her successful 2008 New York Times Best Seller, “Home: A Memoir of My Early Years” — will be released October 15.

AFI Life Achievement Award Recipients
Honoree joins an esteemed group of individuals who have been chosen for this distinguished honor since its inception.

About the AFI Life Achievement Award
The highest honor given for a career in film, the AFI Board of Trustees established the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1973.  It is presented to a single honoree each year based on the following criteria as mandated through a resolution passed by the AFI Board of Trustees:

“The recipient should be one whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.”

Most recently, the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute gathered American film’s finest to honor Denzel Washington on June 6, 2019 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The event saw Mahershala Ali, Chadwick Boseman, Jodie Foster, Antoine Fuqua, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, Michael B. Jordan, Issa Rae, Julia Roberts and Cicely Tyson pay tribute to Washington’s extraordinary life and body of work. The evening featured a musical performance from Jennifer Hudson Additional guests in attendance included Ed Begley, Jr., W. Kamau Bell, Joel Coen, Ava DuVernay, Carl Franklin, Antoine Fuqua, David Alan Grier, Keegan-Michael Key, Martin Lawrence, Frances McDormand, Stephen McKinley Henderson, John David Washington and Edward Zwick.

About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands, delivering about 1.812 million vehicles globally in 2018. In the U.S., Audi of America sold nearly 224,000 vehicles in 2018. 2019 marks 50 years for the brand in the U.S. Visit audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.

About TNT
TNT, a WarnerMedia Entertainment brand, is basic cable’s #1 network in primetime among young adults and is home to some of television’s most popular slate of original series, including The Alienist, Animal Kingdom, Claws, I Am the Night and the upcoming sequel The Alienist: The Angel of Darkness. TNT’s forthcoming, premium unscripted series include Shaq Life and the live, multiplatform event Chasing the Cure. TNT also presents popular shows such as Bones and Castle; primetime specials and sports coverage, including the NBA and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships and the forthcoming, professional wrestling league All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Website: www.tntdrama.com

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. Currently in its 25th year as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® in February and Summer Under the Stars in August. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and the TCM Classic Cruise, the TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Fathom Events, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, TCM develops a wide range of books about classic film, offers classic movie merchandise online in the TCM Shop, curates quarterly wine shipments with the TCM Wine Club, and hosts a wealth of material at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app.

About WarnerMedia
WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Now, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others.

Warner Media is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T).

About the American Film Institute
Established in 1967, the American Film Institute is the nation’s nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and inspiring artists and audiences through initiatives that champion the past, present and future of the moving image. AFI’s pioneering programs include filmmaker training at the AFI Conservatory; year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center and at AFI Festivals across the nation; workshops aimed at increasing diversity in the storytelling community; honoring today’s masters through the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI AWARDS; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films that uphold film history for future generations. Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com, and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, youtube.com/AFI, twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

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Contact:
American Film Institute: Steve Pepdjonovic, 323-856-8436, [email protected]
Turner Broadcasting, Kaitlin Lindsey, 818-729-7391, [email protected]