Live Poll: AFI Lifetime Achievement Award 2017: Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton can be pretty self-deprecating. It's good to take awards and praise with a grain of salt.

But do you really need five male actors to win before you get to Keaton?

Well, at least three of them, it was more of a 'age/longevity' than a 'gender' issue. That said, I would have given the award to Jodie Foster, Jane Fonda, Julie Andrews, Diane Keaton and Emma Thompson before I got to Steve Martin.

Fair enough.

I agree that it's a big oversight or a big something that Gene Hackman hasn't won it yet. Amazing, really, especially considering a few of the winners (I love Steve Martin but before Hackman, Redford, Andrews or Duvall? And Michael Douglas before them or at all?), but I wouldn't put Diane Keaton in the category. Her importance and influence would be difficult to overstate. It doesn't bother me that most of her significant acting accomplishments occurred over twenty years ago: Most of the actors that have won have that in common because either they stop working as much when they get older and/or, unfortunately, there aren't nearly as many roles for actors, especially women but men too, especially good roles, after age sixty or so. Lifetime achievement is just that and her body of work is canonical. Hackman hasn't worked in film, at all, since 2004, and his last significant movie was 2001, but he would certainly be very deserving, as well. 

I love that you mention Jodie Foster, as she is my favorite actress, but she, Emma Thompson, andTom Cruise, from those you mentioned, are too young, I think. Even though they are already deserving, it seems lifetime achievement  awards are given to people much older, and that seems to make sense: they'll be around to receive awards for a long time, whereas Mel Brooks, for instance, is 91, so had they waited beyond 2013, he may not have still been with us. 

Thank you, ElMo, for the good discussion, and Peter, as well. :)

Litefime, what a word, lol. Thank you, Peter!

How funny! And from here, your Austin Powers impression is spot on. :)