Special award for actress Nicole Kidman

The sparkling gold gown was the perfect outfit for the dazzling evening: Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman, 56, received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday night. Stars such as Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Naomi Watts and Reese Witherspoon have praised her. The prestigious award from the American Film Institute (AFI) went to a first-time Australian actress or actor.

Given since 1973, the AFI Life Achievement Award honors people whose work enriches American cinema. In addition to Streep and Freeman, previous honorees include Sean Connery, Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda, Dustin Hoffman, Steven Spielberg, Diane Keaton, George Clooney and Denzel Washington.

Kidman walked with her husband, Keith Urban, and their daughters, Sunday Rose, 15, and Faith Margaret, 13, on the red carpet in front of the Dolby Theater, where the Academy Awards are traditionally presented. “Babygirl – I'm so proud of you,” country music star Urban previously wrote on Twitter. The list of past award winners will speak volumes. The singer also listed all 49 recipients, from John Ford in 1973 to Kidman, who added his name with a red heart.

“Deeply touched by all the global support,” Kidman wrote on Instagram. She thanked the American Film Institute for including her in this “illustrious group of honorees.” The organization praised Kidman as a “true screen icon” who embodies the glamor of old Hollywood but is also willing to take risks when choosing roles.

Kidman has appeared in films such as Deadly Silence, Days of Thunder, To Die For, Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge, Dogville, and Being the Ricardos. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2003 for the movie The Hours. With a large nose, she was unrecognizable in the sterile role of the depressed writer Virginia Woolf.