Surrounded By Love And Admiration, The Actress Was Deeply Moved As She Received This Prestigious Recognition, A Testament To Her Incredible Career And The Lasting Impact She’s Made In The Industry

Nicole Kidman became tearful as she was honored by her peers on Saturday night at the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award gala in Los Angeles.

The Big Little Lies star, 56, looked statuesque in a sparkling gold Balenciaga gown as she was presented with the prestigious award by 2004 winner Meryl Streep.

Kidman was accompanied by her husband Keith Urban, who also made a speech in her honour, and shared an Instagram post ahead the ceremony, admitting she was ‘deeply moved’.

She looked sensational at the event in the sequinned gown that hugged her slender figure and boasted a five-foot train that draped behind her on the red carpet.

Sharing a photo of the stage, she wrote: ‘Deeply moved by all of the support around the world that I’ve been seeing and hearing.

Nicole Kidman became tearful as she was honored by her peers on Saturday night at the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award gala in Los Angeles

The Big Little Lies star, 56, looked statuesque in a sparkling gold Balenciaga gown as she was presented with the prestigious award by 2004 winner Meryl Streep

Kidman was accompanied by her husband Keith Urban, who also made a speech in her honour, and shared an Instagram post ahead the ceremony, admitting she was ‘deeply moved’

Nicole Kidman poses with family at AFI Life Achievement Awards

‘Thank you to all of you and to the @AmericanFilmInstitute for including me in this illustrious group of honorees – now let’s have some fun!’

Kidman’s The Hours co-star Streep, 74, brought her to tears as she praised the the Moulin Rouge star’s talents and explained what she thought motivated her.

She said: ‘People call it bravery when an actress bares all and leaps off into the unknown and she dives deep into the darker parts of what it is to be a human being. But I don’t think it’s bravery. I think it’s love. I think she just loves it.’

Kidman broke down once again when her husband took to the stage with a moving speech, saying she showed him ‘what love in action really looks like’ when his drug abuse problems emerged after they tied the knot in 2006.

Looking at his wife sat with their two daughters and family, the singer, 56, recalled: ‘Four months into our marriage, I’m in rehab for three months.

‘Nic pushed through every negative voice, I’m sure even some of her own, and she chose love. And here we are 18 years later’, causing Kidman to wipe a tear away from her face.

Urban also took to his Instagram to pay tribute to Nicole before the gala, sharing a photo of her and writing: ‘In a career that’s still very much in full flight, tonight the @americanfilminstitute will honor my wife as the newest member in this extraordinary fraternity.

‘Babygirl – I’m so proud of you, and as much as I could come off sounding like the biased husband, I’ll let the list of previous honorees do all of the talking for me. What a list!’

She looked sensational at the event in the sequinned gown that hugged her slender figure and boasted a five-foot train that draped behind her on the red carpet

‘Deeply moved by all of the support around the world that I’ve been seeing and hearing,’ Kidman wrote on Instagram

 
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Her sleeveless dress accentuated her figure, featuring a five-foot train that draped behind her on the red carpet. Kidman completed the look with a matching gold watch and rings, as well as a pair of pointed black heels

 
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Kidman broke down once again when her husband took to the stage with a moving speech, saying she showed him ‘what love in action really looks like’ when his drug abuse problems emerged after they tied the knot in 2006

 
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Accepting the award, Kidman said: ‘It is a privilege to make films. And glorious to have made films and television with these storytellers who allowed me to run wild and be free and play all of these unconventional women. Thank you for making me better at my craft and giving me a place, however temporary, in this world’

He went on to list the likes of Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Alfred Hitchcock, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and more.

Kidman and Urban tied the knot in 2006, and they share daughters Sunday Rose, 15, and 13-year-old Faith Margaret.

She also shares an adopted daughter Isabella, 31, and son Connor, 29, with ex-husband Tom Cruise.

Accepting the award, Kidman thanked all the directors she has worked with over her incredible career, including Stanley Kubrick, Jane Campion, Baz Luhrmann, Sofia Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sydney Pollack and Lars von Trier.

She said: ‘It is a privilege to make films. And glorious to have made films and television with these storytellers who allowed me to run wild and be free and play all of these unconventional women.

‘Thank you for making me better at my craft and giving me a place, however temporary, in this world.’

The Australian actress raved the AFI honor was ‘beyond my wildest dreams‘ when she was announced as the recipient last weekend.

 
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Urban complemented his wife in a classic black tuxedo with black creeper shoes

 
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The Australian actress raved the AFI honor was ‘ beyond my wildest dreams ‘ when she was announced as the recipient last weekend

 
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Kidman and Urban tied the knot in 2006, and they share daughters Sunday Rose, 15, and 13-year-old Faith Margaret

 
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Urban paid tribute to his wife on Instagram. ‘In a career that’s still very much in full flight, tonight the @americanfilminstitute will honor my wife as the newest member in this extraordinary fraternity,’ he wrote

 
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‘Babygirl – I’m so proud of you, and as much as I could come off sounding like the biased husband, I’ll let the list of previous honorees do all of the talking for me,’ added Urban, 56. ‘What a list!’

 
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Kidman wrote of the honor, ‘Receiving this award fills me with overwhelming gratitude. To be the first Australian to be honoured in this way leaves me speechless’

 
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Kidman added, ‘I grew up as a Sydney suburban girl who just wanted to act; to have forged a career by doing what I love is a blessing beyond my dreams. I thank the AFI for this amazing honour’

 
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Kidman is in good company with the AFI Life Achievement Award, which has previously gone to Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Alfred Hitchcock, Elizabeth Taylor, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and more

 
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‘So excited to celebrate with so many friends and peers on Saturday,’ wrote Kidman

 
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Kidman and Urban were accompanied by their daughters Sunday Rose, 15, and 13-year-old Faith Margaret, as well as Nicole’s sister Antonia, her husbamd Craig Marran and their family

Naomi Watts looks radiant at the AFI Life Achievement Awards

‘Receiving this award fills me with overwhelming gratitude,’ she wrote at the time. ‘To be the first Australian to be honoured in this way leaves me speechless.

Kidman added, ‘I grew up as a Sydney suburban girl who just wanted to act; to have forged a career by doing what I love is a blessing beyond my dreams. I thank the AFI for this amazing honour.’

She later shared a throwback photo of herself in one of her first movies, 1983’s Bush Christmas.

‘This 14 year old girl could have never predicted all the talented people she would get to work with and the many different characters she would get to play,’ she captioned the post.

‘So excited to celebrate with so many friends and peers on Saturday with the @AmericanFilmInstitue xx,’ added Kidman.

Kidman was supported by several pals, including Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts, Joey King, Morgan Freeman and more.

King, 24, who stars as Kidman’s daughter in the upcoming Netflix movie A Family Affair, donned a black peekaboo gown on the red carpet.

 
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Kidman was supported by several pals, including Reese Witherspoon, Naomi Watts, Joey King, Morgan Freeman and more

 
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She and King, 24, star together as mother and daughter in the upcoming Netflix film A Family Affair

 
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Kidman appears alongside Freeman, 86, in the Paramount+ series Special Ops: Lioness

 
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Kidman was surrounded by love as her friends, fans and former co-stars showed out for the event

 
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Kidman got on her hands and knees to pose on the sidewalk with her Hollywood Walk of Fame star

Kidman also posed for a photo with AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale

Nicole is seen with her loved ones while on the red carpet shortly before the main ceremony kicked off