Clint Eastwood receives French honour
Story by Jack Foley
CLINT Eastwood has been presented with the prestigious Legion d’honneur, the highest civilian distinction in France, at a special ceremony in Paris.
The screen icon was presented with the accolade by President Jacques Chirac who told the 76-year-old that he embodied “the best of Hollywood”.
He also paid tribute to Eastwood’s “immense talent as an actor” and “genius as a director”, claiming that he occupied an “exceptional place” in the world of cinema.
Eastwood is currently in Europe supporting his latest work as a director, Letters From Iwo Jima, a companion piece to World War Two film Flags Of Our Fathers, which is told from the Japanese perspective.
The film, which has four Oscar nominations, received its European premiere in Berlin last week.
Eastwood, who is also to receive a humanitarian award from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for the first time in its history, wore a grey suit to the private ceremony at the winter garden of the presidential Elysee Palace.
He was accompanied by his wife, Dina, his 10-year-old daughter, Morgan, and his son, Kyle.
Watch the Letters From Iwo Jima trailer