Gene Hackman has been named as the recipient of this year's Cecil B DeMille Award at the 60th annual Golden Globe Awards show on Jan 19 next year. The honour was announced yesterday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) which gives out the Globes and Hackman was cited for his "outstanding contribution to the entertainment field."

Hackman received a Globe last year for best actor (comedy or musical) in The Royal Tenenbaums, although he was unable to attend the ceremony. He previously won in 1971 for best actor (drama) in The French Connection and in 1982 for best supporting actor in Unforgiven.

He has received five additional nominations, four as best actor (drama) for The Conversation (1974), French Connection II (1975), Twice In A Lifetime (1985) and Mississippi Burning (1988) and one as best supporting actor for Under Fire (1983).

Among the many directors for whom he has worked are Woody Allen, Arthur Penn, Mike Nichols, Nicolas Roeg, Warren Beatty, Richard Donner, John Frankenheimer, William Friedkin, Sidney Lumet, Richard Lester, Francis Ford Coppola, Mel Brooks, Sydney Pollack, Tony Scott and Clint Eastwood.

Recent Cecil B DeMille winners include Harrison Ford in 2002, Al Pacino in 2001, Barbra Streisand in 2000 and Jack Nicholson in 1999.