George Clooney will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, recognizing the Oscar-winning actor, director and producer for a career that has spanned more than three decades. The festival will take place Sept. 2-12, with Clooney set to accept one of its highest honors during this year’s event.
Clooney, 65, has maintained a long association with Venice since making his festival debut with Out of Sight in 1998. He has since returned numerous times as both an actor and filmmaker with projects including Good Night, and Good Luck, The Ides of March, Suburbicon, Michael Clayton, Gravity, Burn After Reading and, most recently, Jay Kelly. Venice also holds personal significance for the actor, who married Amal Clooney there in 2014.
Reacting to the announcement, Clooney said, “I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice. This festival is without question my favorite and to be given the Golden Lion is a tremendous honor. It also probably means I’m old, but I’ll take it.” Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera praised Clooney as “a complete and charismatic artist” whose accomplishments as an actor, director and producer have made him one of contemporary cinema’s defining figures, highlighting both his versatility across genres and his enduring influence on filmmaking.
Best known for launching to international fame on television’s ER before becoming one of Hollywood’s leading stars, Clooney has earned Academy Awards for both acting and producing while building an acclaimed directing career. His repeated appearances at Venice have made him one of the festival’s most familiar figures, and the lifetime achievement honor further cements his longstanding relationship with one of the world’s premier film showcases.
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