The American Film Institute (AFI) will confer Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees honoris causa upon Emmy® and Tony Award® winner Lily Tomlin and Academy Award®- and Emmy®-nominated actress Angela Bassett.

Tomlin will be recognized during the AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony celebrating the Class of 2020 on Saturday, August 21, 2021 and Bassett will be honored during the Class of 2021 commencement ceremony on Saturday, October 9, 2021.

“Lily Tomlin and Angela Bassett are titanic artistic voices in a world that needs them now more than ever,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “Beyond their undeniable talents – which are vast and varied – they have broken barriers, advanced our culture and inspired a new generation to follow in their footsteps. We are honored to celebrate them at the AFI Commencement with the storytellers of tomorrow.”

Tomlin and Bassett join an esteemed group of distinguished past recipients, including Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Anne V. Coates, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, Jodie Foster, Lesli Linka Glatter, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Paul Schrader, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler and John Williams.