George Clooney will be recognized for his decades-long contribution to international cinema with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
On Monday, organizers announced the 65-year-old will be presented with the award during the event scheduled to run from Sept. 2 to 12.
“I’ve had so many extraordinary moments in Venice,” Clooney said in a statement. “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.”
The award, introduced in 1949, is regarded as one of the most prestigious and distinguished prizes in the industry. The honor recognizes Clooney’s career as an actor, director, and producer, spanning more than three decades in film and television.
“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 parabolas of contemporary film,” said the festival’s artistic director, Alberto Barbera.
“An early career launched without shortcuts, with small roles in TV series and B movies until his major success as the star of the series ”ER,“ formed an actor who is able to inhabit the screen with disarming spontaneity.”
Clooney’s relationship with the festival stems back to the late 1990s, both in front of and behind the camera. Several of his directorial projects, including “Good Night, and Good Luck” (2005), “The Ides of March” (2011), and “Suburbicon” (2017), have debuted at the festival, and he appeared in Venice for films such as “Gravity” (2013), “Michael Clayton” (2007), and “Wolfs” (2024).
“He is endowed with the gift of making his characters seem not only credible but desirable, approachable, and human, thanks to his undeniable charm,” Barbera said. “But Clooney’s charisma is constructed on his credibility, not on his image, because his seductive side has never been merely aesthetic.”
Over the course of his career, Clooney earned two Oscars, four Golden Globes, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, four SAG Awards, a BAFTA, two Critics’ Choice Awards, an Emmy, and numerous other honors. He made his mark in Academy Award history by receiving the most nominations across multiple categories, more than any other nominee.
Beyond his achievements in film, Clooney has built a reputation for his humanitarian efforts and philanthropic work to advance international human rights, press freedom, and causes such as conflict prevention, refugee assistance, and disaster relief.
Venice also holds personal significance for Clooney, after the actor married human rights lawyer Amal Ramzi Alamuddin in the Italian city in 2014. The couple welcomed twins Alexander and Ella in June 2017.
