AFI to recognize Shirley MacLaine with Life Achievement Award


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Renowned actress and author Shirley MacLaine, 77, will receive the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award at a gala ceremony June 7.

Known for works such as The Trouble With Harry and Terms of Endearment, MacLaine will be the 40th recipient of the AFI award, placing her among the likes of Morgan Freeman, her younger brother Warren Beatty, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Taylor and Alfred Hitchcock. (Click here for a complete list of recipients.

You don’t have to look far to find MacLaine’s achievements. Having starred in more than 50 movies in addition to appearing on television shows and theater stages, she’s proven she’s more than just a pretty face for the camera. Her acting has been recognized in the form of six Oscar nominations (and one win for Best Actress in Terms of Endearment) and seven Golden Globe wins. If that isn’t enough, she has also authored several books, including Sage-ing While Age-ing and I’m Over All That: And Other Confessions.

Pushing past the film world, MacLaine has dabbled in politics, contributing to the 1972 presidential campaign of George McGovern. It’s also no secret that she is very spiritually minded, and her books go beyond your typical autobiographies as they often explore spiritual topics as well.

When talking about the decision to award MacLaine, president and CEO of AFI, Bob Gazzale said, “What is not to love about Shirley MacLaine … She defines the term renaissance woman and what an honor for the AFI to shine a proper light to all she’s given the world. Then when you get into her films, it’s across genres, it’s across decades. This is a force of nature all to our benefit.”

Established in 1973, the goal of the Life Achievement Award is to highlight a person of film “whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art … and whose work has stood the test of time.” Embodying these specifications, MacLaine, still going strong with feature films and books, has permeated through the decades and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with.

The special award ceremony will be broadcast on TV Land in June.