Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty
Billy Crystalis getting his due.
The 73-year-old actor received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 27th annual Critics Choice Awards Sunday night. Only five other stars have earned the honor in the award show’s history: Lauren Bacall, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Eddie Murphy and Robert Wise.
“I want to thank you for this wonderful award,” he began in his acceptance speech. “To all the critics, this may be the first time we actually agree on something.”
Referring to a montage from his career that played before his speech, Crystal told the audience, “watching those clips made me think of one word: that is, residuals.”
Frazer Harrison/Getty
“I had so many great moments and I want to thank all of the people I had those moments with in every capacity … I’ve been so blessed to work with such amazing people my entire career, which is now in its 50th year. What’s exciting about it is so much more to come, that’s what’s exciting at this point in my life
“Tomorrow is my birthday, and I’m going to be 74 years old, and as Jimmy mentioned, I’m about to open in a Broadway musical,” he said, referring to the upcoming production ofMr. Saturday Night.
“I can’t remember when I worked harder or had more fun on a project, and I’m serious. I’ll be 74 tomorrow, and I just can’t remember,” he quipped.
“So before I knew it, I’m standing on a coffee table imitating my relatives, who were these joyful souls, many of them from … Russia, my grandmothers were from Odessa and Kyiv. They escaped the pogroms to come to America, where they could live free from tyranny. And their laughter, the first laughs I ever got in my life, is the fuel that my engine is still burning today.
“I dedicate this award to those amazing people in our living room in Long Ridge, Long Island, whose laughter and joy started this five-year-old boy on his way to this moment,” he said, clutching his award. “I pray that somehow, some way there can be laughter and joy in that part of the world once again.”
Vivien Killilea/Getty Images
“My lifetime achievement award is my family,” Crystal said, shouting out upcoming 52 year anniversary with his wife. He closed out speech with a quote from Muhammad Ali: “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.”
Crystal is known for films like 1989’sWhen Harry Met Sally…, 1991’sCity Slickersand 1999’sAnalyze This, as well as his voice work as Mike Wazowski in Disney/Pixar’sMonsters, Inc. The writer/director is also aSaturday Night Livealum who has hostedthe Oscarsnine times.
He directedlast year’sHere Today, in which he costarred withTiffany Haddish, and Crystal returns to Broadway for themusical comedyMr. Saturday Night, opening April 27.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Back in 2020,Crystal toldPEOPLE Now, “I love the fact that I’m going to be 72 and I’m having a great chapter 2-and-a-half.”
RELATED VIDEO:Billy Crystal Reflects on 50+ Year Marriage to Wife, Janice: ‘Such a Wonderful Journey’
He added, “To get a chance to do that at this point, I’m just really blessed. You wake up every day going, ‘All right, got something to do.’ And that’s a great feeling.”
source: people.com
