Kevin Spacey to accept lifetime achievement award in Cannes

Kevin Spacey is to accept a lifetime achievement award at an event running alongside the Cannes Film Festival next week.

The American Beauty star was once one of the world's most feted actors but has largely been shunned by Hollywood since allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017.

He was cleared of nine sexual offences in the U.K. in 2023, and found not liable in a civil lawsuit in the U.S. in 2022 and has subsequently said he wants to "get back to work".

As part of his attempt at a comeback trail he is set to receive an award for excellence in film and television at the Better World Fund's 10th anniversary gala dinner at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. He is also in Cannes to help find buyers for his new film The Awakening.

At the event, Spacey will be "recognised not only for his decades of artistic brilliance but also for his enduring impact on cinema and the arts", according to a statement made by the fund.

Although the gala is not an official part of the Cannes Film Festival, the Carlton is situated just a short walk from the heart of the event, the Palais du Cinema.

Since 2017 more than 30 men have accused Spacey of sexual assault or inappropriate behaviour. However, in July 2023, Spacey was found not guilty of sexually assaulting four men in a U.K. trial having been previously cleared of sexual assault in a 2022 civil lawsuit in New York.

Earlier this year, Spacey entered a war of words with the actor Guy Pearce, who claimed Spacey had behaved inappropriately on the set of their 1997 film LA Confidential. The House of Cards star responded by telling the Australian to "grow up".