Steven Spielberg proclaimed “The Godfather” the “greatest American film ever made,” Robert De Niro teasingly bemoaned being cast in the sequel and not the original, and Harrison Ford fought back tears reflecting on his role in the 1974 film, “The Conversation.”

At the center of it all was Francis Ford Coppola, who on Saturday received the AFI Life Achievement Award at a ceremony that brought together legendary stars from a seemingly bygone era of cinema.

A founding AFI trustee, Coppola’s recognition from the organization was a kind of full circle moment for the “Apocalypse Now” director.

“When I was a kid there was the Oscars and that was it. Now they’re going to have an award show for the best award show,” the 86-year-old said on the red carpet. “But this is a little different because it’s a personal recognition of the people that you’ve known all your life and your colleagues over many years, so it’s like a homecoming in a way.”

“You, sir, are peerless. You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film,” Spielberg said.

Coppola sat between Spielberg and George Lucas, as actors and fellow filmmakers like Spike Lee, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Morgan Freeman took turns gushing over the Oscar winner.

“Dreamer of dreams on a dime, teller of tales that cost and lost millions. But tonight, (expletive) the bankers and the bank,” Freeman said to laughs and cheers.

Lucas, Coppola’s longtime friend and colleague, presented him with the award. The pair co- founded their own production company, American Zoetrope, in 1969.

“You rounded up a bunch of young film students, gathered us together. We moved to San Francisco, hoping to beat the system. And we did. Like the filmmakers from the dawn of the art form, we had no rules. We wrote them, and you were holding the pen,” Lucas said.

Coppola was mostly stoic throughout the ceremony — until he accepted the award at the end of the night. He beamed as he approached the stage and thanked the room.

“Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn’t really a place at all, but you — friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors, all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back,” he said. “I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.”

Berry, Strong among Cannes jury: Halle Berry, Jeremy Strong and Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia will be among the jury members at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to decide the Palme d’Or winner.

Organizers on Monday unveiled the jury members who will join president Juliette Binoche at the 78th edition of the French festival May 13 to 24. The others are Italian actor Alba Rohrwacher, Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo, Congolese director Diedo Hamadi, Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas and French-Moroccan writer Leïla Slimani.

April 30 birthdays: Actor Perry King is 77. Singer Merrill Osmond is 72. Director Jane Campion is 71. Bassist Robert Reynolds is 63. Singer J.R. Richards is 58. Actor Johnny Galecki is 50. Actor Sam Heughan is 45. Actor Kunal Nayyar is 44. Actor Kirsten Dunst is 43. Actor Dianna Agron is 39. Rapper Travis Scott is 34.