Julie Andrews Honored With AFI Life Achievement Award

Julie Andrews was awarded the 48th AFI Life Achievement Award at a Gala Tribute in the heart of Hollywood on Thursday, June 9, where stars gathered to pay tribute to the Oscar-winning actress.

Carol Burnett, Steve Carell, Bo Derek, Héctor Elizondo, Cynthia Erivo, Jane Seymour, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Brandi Burkhardt, and cast members from The Sound of Music were on hand to celebrate Andrews’ incredible career and the joy she has brought to audiences around the world.

“I would not be me without the inspiration of Julie Andrews,” said Gwen Stefani, whose song “Wind It Up” includes a sample of “The Lonely Goatherd” from The Sound of Music. “You have brought so much joy into my life and to all of our lives. Thank you for your ‘sound of music.’”

The event, which will air on Thursday, June 16, on TNT at 10:00 pm ET/PT, also featured taped messages from Dick Van Dyke, Anne Hathaway, Ariana DeBose, Hugh Jackman, Kristin Chenoweth, Kelly Clarkson, Nicola Coughlan, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

AFI

“This night reminds me with great clarity how many people are involved with making movies,” Andrews said as she accepted the award. “What a huge collaborative effort it takes to bring film to the screen. My husband Blake [Edwards] never liked when people referred to filmmaking as the business or an industry. He insisted that film was an art form and should always be called that. And I know that is exactly the way the AFI feels also.”

Speaking to the LA Times ahead of the event, Andrews said, “I’m enormously honored that AFI chose me. It is a little bit stunning. It makes me hugely aware that there was a large volume of work. When you’re in it, you’re so busy doing the work that you don’t take stock of what you’ve done. And when someone else does, you marvel: ‘Wow, that’s a lot.’”

Academy Award-winner Siân Heder was also awarded the 2022 Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, which recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI Alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner. Heder’s film CODA won this year’s Best Picture Oscar while Heder herself picked up the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

AFI

“AFI taught me that directing is a state of curiosity and learning. The solving of problems is where the art lives,” Heder said in her acceptance speech.

The 48th AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Julie Andrews, Premieres, Thursday, June 16, 10 pm et/pt, TNT, followed by an encore at 11:30 pm et/pt