The AFI Life Achievement Award will be presented at a gala in Los Angeles in April next year.
“Tom Cruise is a global icon,” said Kathleen Kennedy, chair of the AFI board of directors, praising Cruise for his dedication as an actor and producer and his belief in film's ability to bring people together.
Cruise, 64, has been in the business for more than four decades and has been nominated for an Oscar four times without winning. Last year, however, he received an honorary Oscar.
“Film is not just what I do. Film is what I am,” he said in his acceptance speech.
In 2022, he was awarded an Honorary Palme d'Or in Cannes for his contributions to the silver screen.