Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (56) can count on many celebrity friends to receive the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award. Hollywood icon Meryl Streep (74) will present the actress with the coveted award on April 27th, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced. Stars like Morgan Freeman, Naomi Watts and Reese Witherspoon will also honor Kidman's achievements at the 49th Life Achievement Awards Gala.

Kidman is the first Australian to receive this honor. The AFI Life Achievement Award, given since 1973, goes to individuals 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 appeared in films such as Days of Thunder, Eyes Wide Shut, Moulin Rouge, Dogville and Being the Ricardos. She won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2003 for "The Hours". With a big nose, she was hardly recognizable in the vain role of the depressive writer Virginia Woolf.

The 49th gala of the renowned film association takes place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, where the Oscars are also presented.