Tom Cruise will receive the American Film Institute’s (AFI) Life Achievement Award in April 2027, adding another major honour to a film career spanning more than four decades.
The award will be presented at a Hollywood ceremony on April 24 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
AFI has presented its Life Achievement Award every year since 1973. Previous recipients include Bette Davis, Gene Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Tom Hanks.
A Career Built Around Cinema
Cruise has become one of Hollywood’s best-known actors through films ranging from Risky Business and Rain Man to Top Gun, Jerry Maguire and the Mission: Impossible series.
He has also worked as a producer and has often backed the theatrical movie experience.
Kathleen Kennedy, chair of AFI’s Board of Trustees, praised Cruise’s work as both an actor and producer.
She also highlighted his belief in cinema and its ability to bring audiences together.
Cruise has received three Academy Award nominations for acting. He also received an honorary Oscar in 2025 for his lifetime contribution to film.
His career has also included one of his biggest commercial successes with Top Gun: Maverick, which became a global box-office hit.
Award Comes as Cruise’s Latest Film Struggles
The AFI honour comes at a different point for Cruise’s latest release.
His new dark comedy Digger has struggled at the box office. The film finished fifth in the US and Canadian box-office charts during its opening weekend in October.
That result contrasts with the scale of some of Cruise’s earlier hits. His career has included major franchises and films that have drawn audiences around the world.
The AFI Life Achievement Award will now add another career honour to that record when Cruise receives it in April 2027.
Last modified: October 22, 2026
