Baftas honour given to Warren Beatty

Warren Beatty is to be honoured at the Baftas for his outstanding contribution to world cinema.

The actor will receive the annual Academy Fellowship, the highest accolade bestowed on an individual, during the ceremony at Odeon Leicester Square in London.

The 64-year-old follows in the footsteps of Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Elizabeth Taylor and Stanley Kubrick.

Orange British Academy Film Awards chairman Simon Relph says Beatty is one of the most versatile and gifted film makers.

He said: "His contribution to the film industry cannot be underestimated and we are delighted to honour his work with this award."

Beatty shot to fame when he produced and starred in Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. He had a string of hit movies including Reds (1981) for which he won the best director Oscar, Dick Tracy (1990) and Bugsy (1991).

In his latest movie, he appears alongside Uma Thurman in Quentin Tarantino's action thriller Kill Bill, which is to be released later this year.

The Baftas ceremony, hosted by Stephen Fry, is set to be attended by stars including Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe, Harvey Keitel, Halle Berry and Kate Winslet.