Geoffrey Rush was honoured for his contribution to the Australian film industry on Saturday night (01Aug09) at a ceremony in Melbourne.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean star received the Raymond Longford Award, named after the film pioneer, from the Australian Film Institute (AFI) for his iconic Aussie movie roles - including Lantana in 2001 and 1996's Shine, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
Rush is only the sixth actor to receive the award from the AFI since it began 41 years ago - and he was overwhelmed to be among the exclusive group.
The 58 year old says, "I'm aware of some of the names that have been awarded before - real heavy hitters like Fred Schepisi, Peter Weir and Jan Chapman.
"It's been a blend of writers, directors, cinematographers, exhibitors, producers - people that I regard as coming from the serious side rather than the more widely publicised glitzy side of the film industry.
"It's nice to be counted among these men and women that have made probably a more serious mark on the industry than I think I might have made.
"In getting this award one hopes it's a recognition of partly what I have done but partly also what we have done."
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