Eddie Murphy will be honoured with the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award.

The American Film Institute (AFI) Board of Trustees have announced the Beverly Hills Cop star will receive the accolade at their Gala Tribute at Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre on 18 April in recognition of his "trailblazing" work and cultural impact.

Kathleen Kennedy, the board's chair, said in a statement: "Eddie Murphy is an American icon.

"A trailblazing force in the art forms of film, television and stand-up comedy, his versatility knows no bounds. Across five decades, his enduring impact on our culture has inspired artists and audiences alike."

The accolade is considered the highest honour for a career in film and 64-year-old Eddie - who has had a string of movies gross over $100 million during the past four decades - follows in the footsteps of last year's honouree Francis Ford Coppola, and previous winners including Nicole Kidman, Dame Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Diane Keaton, Steve Martin, Jane Fonda. Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, and George Lucas.

The Shrek star recently insisted he doesn't "think about winning trophies" and chooses the projects he thinks will be "fun".

The 64-year-old actor insists he isn't motivated by accolades and recognition, and Eddie claims that making "good stuff" is his top priority.

Asked if awards recognition is still on his mind, Eddie told The Hollywood Reporter: "What's on my mind is just doing good stuff and only doing stuff that I'm going to have fun doing.

"I don't think about winning trophies. I got a bunch of trophies. I got everything but an Oscar, and I'm not like, 'This is going to get the Oscar.' "

Eddie joked even if he's never recognised with an Academy Award for one specific piece of work, he's sure he'll get recognised at the ceremony eventually.

He quipped: "The fact of the matter is, if I never win an Oscar, eventually they'll give me one of those honorary Oscars when I'm 90 years old. If they made me wait that long, I'm going to wear a sky blue tuxedo, and when they give me the Oscar, I'm going to urinate on myself while I'm giving a speech!"