AFI Life Achievement Award (TV Series)

AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Michael Douglas (2009)

Michael Douglas: Self

Quotes 

• Michael Douglas : [his acceptance speech after being inducted by Jack Nicholson]  thank you all so much for your graciousness, your extraordinary gestures, tonight Jack thank you very much and thank the NBA for an away game, I appreciate that very much, I really do, I mean what can I say, this is right up there with my wedding day, the days of the births of my children, I want to thank the American Film Institute for extraordinary gesture and effort for putting this evening together, it's really overwhelming and it was certainly entertaining for me and it's incredibly fulfilling to hear these things and not be dead, at one point Catherine turned me and she said with this loving look "God honey you are so old.", I didn't even know you could dance that was fantastic, thank you Hun, the efforts and gestures you made so for the past 11 years. I do work with the United Nations and one thing that strikes me is that wherever I go American films export our culture in a way that reflects incredibly well on our nation and on our values, and with just a reminder although we call it the "entertainment industry", it does so much than just "entertain", I mean this industry serves as the best American ambassador we can offer the world, it truly does, and that raises the question to me, "what am I doing up here?" and getting this lifetime achievement award, and do you know what it is? It's great genes, both my mother and my father have been working actors their entire and I think maybe it was the "philosopher" Yogi Berra that once said "you can observe a lot by watching", and growing up and being able to watch my father acting and producing movies and getting to see my mother acting on stage was the biggest advantage anyone in the second generation could ever have and I want to thank you both and I love you both, so I got this gift from my parents, this acting DNA and their love of this profession but it was someone else who became my true mentor and that was Karl Malden and I saw Karl this morning and I stopped by, his 95, he wanted to be here tonight and I just wanted him to know I'll be his adopted son anytime and a special thanks to all those who came here tonight like Oliver Stone who we are getting ready to do a picture again, after twenty years I think it probably takes that long to recover, Kathleen, my darling, thank you so much, we did three pictures together we either romanced with each other or fought with each other "in the pictures," Sharon Stone, an actress in Basic Instinct showed me a side of herself I never thought I'd see, Annette Bening who "classed" me up in The American President something she hoped she helped her in her 18 year feudal attempt to class Warren up, and Tobey, thank you my friend for taking a night off from baby duty, I do appreciate that and Kiefer Sutherland I feel so much safer as a former American president because I got Jack Bauer around me, and Matthew McConaughey who showed me how important it was by going out and renting a shirt and to Sir Howard Stringer and the AFI board who nominated me who was so generous for giving the experience of being here back on a real studio lot after so many years, there's nothing better than coming to your own testimonial and being asked to see photo ID at the gate, and to all the extraordinary directors, Paul Verhoeven, Curtis Hanson, thank you both for being here tonight, and to the amazing writers that me sound like I knew what I was talking about and all the hardworking casts, the wonderful actors that are here and the talented crew that I worked with for tens of thousands of hours, and to movie fans, everywhere, thank you for watching, and of course, saving the best for last, to my wife Catherine I'm so proud of you darling, and to my oldest son Cameron whose here with us tonight, a fine actor in his own right and to my kids home back in Bermuda, Dylan and Carys I love you two so much, and tonight is a celebration of movies and my small part in them and what really matters and what really lasts is the history and heritage of American films and the legacies of those who have been a part of it and that's why we have the American Film Institute to remember, to cherish and to preserve the stories that echo across time I may be standing alone on this stage right now and my career may be the most amazing collaboration ever so I thank you all and good night.