The American Film Institute recognized the magnitude of Jim’s accomplishments by awarding him the Life Achievement Award in 1980 for advancing the art of American film. In presenting the award, the AFI declared:

“In a career of extraordinary range and depth, Jimmy Stewart has come to embody on the screen the very image of the typical American. Whether flying the ocean as Charles Lindbergh, going to Washington as Senator Jefferson Smith, or playing ordinary men who somehow never got around to leaving their home towns, Stewart has captured the essence of American hopes, doubts, and aspirations. His idealism, his determination, his vulnerability, and above all, his basic decency shine through every role he plays…”