George Clooney to receive Golden Lion for career achievement at Venice Film Festival

Hollywood actor George Clooney, will be honoured with the prestigious Golden Lion for career achievement at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The event is set to take place between September 2 and September 12, according to the entertainment news outlet Variety.

George is best known for his performances in projects such as ‘Michael Clayton’, ‘Gravity’, ‘Ocean's Eleven’, ‘Jay Kelly’, and ‘ER’, among others.

The actor, who made his acting debut in 1978 with the series ‘Centennial’ and went on to become a producer and a director, said he is honoured to receive the award, which celebrates achievements and contributions to the film industry. "I've had so many extraordinary moments in Venice. This festival is without question my favourite and to be given the Golden Lion is a tremendous honour...It also probably means I'm old, but I'll take it," he said in a statement.

Venice chief Alberto Barbera called Clooney a ‘complete and charismatic artist’. "In his triple capacity as actor, director, and producer, George Clooney is a complete and charismatic artist, impassioned and original, who has transformed a deep vocation into one of the most luminous career trajectories of contemporary film," he said, as per Variety.

The festival, which was founded in 1932 by Count Giuseppe Volpi, Luciano de Feo, and Antonio Maraini, aims to promote international cinema as an art, entertainment, and industry. It will be held in the Lido di Venezia, Italy.