MUMBAI: The American Film Institute wll honour Morgan Freeman with its AFI Life Achievement Award. The award will be presented to Freeman at a gala tribute on 9 June next year in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on TV Land PRIME later that month.

A five-time Academy Award nominee, Freeman last won the Oscar for best supporting actor in 2005 for his role in Million Dollar Baby.

Said Howard Stringer, chair of the AFI board of Trustees, "Morgan Freeman is an American treasure". 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. His gifts to the cultural record are also underscored by his unmistakable voice that echoes through the hearts and minds of movie lovers around the world."

Freeman is only the second black actor to receive the honor, the first being Sidney Poitier in 1992.

Freeman‘s credits include Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption, Batman Begins and its sequel The Dark Knight.

He next action film Red is set to release this Friday.