At first glance the images seem rather ordinary: a cocky ensign grumbling over his laundry detail; a young bachelor returning home from work to face another TV dinner in his lonely apartment; that same young man now ten years older and facing the dissolution of his company and his dreams.

Elizabeth Taylor is the youngest recipient of The American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award, yet her career spans a half-century, nearly all of her life. She first appeared on film as a child and immediately exhibited a rare combination of ability, versatility and charm. She would eventually become a great actress.

The Trustees of the American Film Institute have voted the twenty-second Life Achievement Award to Jack Nicholson.

From his film debut as a callow juvenile delinquent in The Cry Baby Killer to his brilliant and honored performances in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,

The Trustees of the American Film Institute have voted the twenty-third Life Achievement Award to Steven Spielberg.The youngest recipient of this award, Spielberg is one of the finest talents of his generation and the most commercially successful filmmaker in the history of the cinema.

The American Film Institute is proud to honor Clint Eastwood with its twenty-fourth Life Achievement Award.

Eastwood’s remarkable career has now spanned five decades.

The Trustees of the American Film Institute have selected Martin Scorsese to receive the twenty-fifth Life Achievement Award. Director, producer, editor, writer, actor, historian, movie buff, film preservationist and champion of artists' rights, Martin Scorsese has left his mark on virtually every aspect of the motion picture.

Dustin Hoffman made his first impact on Hollywood and American moviegoers just over 30 years ago in Mike Nichols’ The Graduate. Even though the actor at first didn’t see himself as right for the role of the tentative and easily seducible young Benjamin Braddock, his performance is among the most precisely shaded acting jobs of its era.

The trustees of the American Film Institute have selected Barbra Streisand to receive AFI's 29th Life Achievement Award.

It is not easy to characterize the artistry of Barbra Streisand.

The trustees of the American Film Institute have selected Tom Hanks to receive AFI's 30th Life Achievement Award.

Although just 45 years old, actor/director/writer/producer Tom Hanks has proven himself an extraordinarily versatile and talented artist.

The trustees of the American Film Institute have selected Robert De Niro to receive AFI's 31st Life Achievement Award.

Watching a Robert De Niro performance is like taking a master class in acting.