George Clooney to receive lifetime achievement Golden Lion at 2026 Venice Film Festival
George Clooney will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.
George Clooney is set to receive the prestigious Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 2026 Venice Film Festival, organisers have announced.
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The award will be presented during the Venice Film Festival, held at the Lido from 2 to 12 September 2026, in recognition of the actor’s long and influential career across film and television.
Clooney said he was “deeply honoured” by the distinction, adding with characteristic humour: “It’s an honour, but it probably also means I’m getting older - and I’m fine with that.”
Festival organisers praised Clooney as a “complete and charismatic artist” whose work as an actor, director and producer has made a lasting mark on contemporary cinema.
He first rose to international fame through the television series ER (Urgences) before becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognisable leading men.
His film career includes major roles in Ocean’s Eleven, Syriana, Michael Clayton, Gravity and The Descendants, as well as directing films such as Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March.
Clooney has frequently attended the Venice Film Festival in recent years, including with his wife Amal Clooney, and remains a regular figure on the international festival circuit.
The Golden Lion is the festival’s highest honour, traditionally awarded to filmmakers and performers whose work has had a significant cultural impact.