Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby, Shawshank Redemption), who played Nelson Mandela in last year’s Invictus, is to receive the American Film Institute’s (AFI) highest honour, the Life Achievement Award. It will be presented on 9 June 2011 in Los Angeles.
“Morgan Freeman is an American treasure,” says Howard Stringer, chair of the AFI board of trustees. “Across decades, whether playing a prisoner, a president or God, he embodies a calm authority that demands respect for the character and for the art form”.
Luminaries who have received this award previously include Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery.
