The American Film Institute announced Friday that Eddie Murphy will receive its prestigious life achievement award. The comedy legend will be honoured at a special ceremony on April 18 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Other celebrities such as Adam Driver, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Ron Howard, Spike Lee, and Diane Lane also shared their admiration for the filmmaker. Past AFI honourees include Orson Welles, Meryl Streep, and Denzel Washington.

The AFI Life Achievement Award is given each year to an artiste who has accumulated an exemplary career in the film industry. Other recent recipients include Nicole Kidman, John Williams, Denzel Washington, Diane Keaton, and Julie Andrews.