Robert Redford to receive honour at France's Cesar Awards

Robert Redford is to receive an honorary prize at France's Cesar Awards in February (19).

The veteran actor and director will be presented with the Cesar d'Honneur, or honorary Cesar, at the awards show - the French version of the Oscars - in Paris on 22 February.

"Many of his films, in front of or behind the camera, are now classics. Few careers have had such an impact on the history of cinema," said French Academy president Alain Terzian in a statement, calling Redford's acceptance of the honour "an immense privilege."

The All the President's Men star follows in the footsteps of previous American honourees including George Clooney and Michael Douglas. The Cesar will be added to his collection of honorary prizes, including the lifetime achievement Oscar, which he received in 2002, the Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes, from back in 1994, and the Life Achievement Award he received from the Screen Actors Guild in 1995.

The announcement comes just over a month after the release of The Old Man & the Gun, which is thought to be Redford's last time in front of the camera following his revelation that he was going to retire from acting.

"Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and (I'll) move towards retirement after this 'cause I've been doing it since I was 21. I thought, 'Well, that's enough.' And why not go out with something that's very upbeat and positive?" Redford told Entertainment Weekly last year (18), although he later expressed regret for making such a public retirement declaration.

Redford, 82, is also the founder of the annual Sundance Film Festival, which kicks off on 24 January, the day after the Cesar Award nominations are announced.