Aaron Sorkin and Guillermo del Toro to Receive Honorary Degrees at AFI Conservatory Graduation

Oscar winners Guillermo del Toro and Aaron Sorkin have a date with the American Film Institute.

The Hollywood veterans have been selected to receive honorary doctor of fine arts degrees during AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre on Aug. 7. The event honors the conservatory’s graduating class of 2026.

With the shine, they join a roster of AFI honorary degree recipients that includes Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Angela Bassett, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Anne V. Coates, Jamie Lee Curtis, Viola Davis, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, Jodie Foster, Lesli Linka Glatter, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino, Lily Tomlin, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler, John Williams and Michelle Yeoh.

“Guillermo del Toro and Aaron Sorkin are peerless, prolific creative forces at a time the world needs them most,” said AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale. “From the vast nature of dreams to an incisive line of dialogue, their contributions to the art form have inspired audiences around the world — as they will inspire this year’s graduates of the AFI Conservatory.”