Actor Forest Whitaker, star of Lee Daniels' The Butler, will receive the Kirk Douglas Award.
The Wrap reports that The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will award Whitaker with the Eighth Annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The honor will be passed to him during a special dinner on Sunday, Dec. 15.
"Forest Whitaker is an exceptional man and actor," Kirk Douglas said in a statement. "His commitment to human causes, his passion for what is right, and his dedication to his craft are inspirational and at my age, inspiration is rare."
Previous winners for the award include Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, and Kirk Douglas himself.
According to The LA Times, Whitaker is also set to receive a special tribute at the 23rd Gotham Independent Film Awards.
The ceremony will take place on Dec. 2 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York.
Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, and Kate Winslet have all received Gotham honors.
Whitaker is set to appear in Out of the Furnace alongside Christian Bale, and the musical Black Nativity opposite Jennifer Hudson.
Whitake produced Fruitvale Station and is an Oscar hopeful for his work in Lee Daniels' The Butler.
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