Kevin Spacey set to receive prestigious lifetime achievement award in Italy

LONDON -- Just two weeks after Kevin Spacey was found not liable for battery in a sex abuse trial, the actor will receive the highest honor given by the National Museum of Cinema for his lifetime achievements in the field of acting.

The National Museum of Cinema in Turin, Italy, announced Thursday that Spacey will be given the prestigious Stella della Mole Award "as a recognition of his aesthetic and authorial contribution to the development of dramatic art throughout his filmography," according to a statement released by the museum.

Previous winners of the Stella della Mole Award include director Dario Argento as well as acclaimed actors Isabella Rossellini and Monica Bellucci.

The event, taking place on Jan. 16, 2023, will see him give a masterclass in acting before introducing a viewing of "one of the most acclaimed movies in his successful career" which will be followed by the presentation of the Stella della Mole Award at the end of the evening.

The museum has not confirmed which one of his films will be played at the event and award ceremony.

"The Oscar winning actor for The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, who played unforgettable characters such as Frank Underwood in House of Cards, returns to meet his beloved audience," the museum said. "The National Museum of Cinema is pleased to pay tribute to the award-winning actor who, over his decades-long career, has given a memorable face to complex, enigmatic, dynamic characters such as - among countless others - his acclaimed Frank Underwood from the world-famous series House of Cards."

Spacey will discuss "the most important milestones in his career as well as the countless characters that viewers know by name" with museum director Domenico De Gaetano.

The museum also called Spacey "a chameleonic star of contemporary world cinema" and said he is "unquestionably one of the most talented and celebrated actors of his generation."

In spite of his talents, Spacey has spent the past several years embroiled in controversy and lawsuits. In October a jury determined that Spacey had not sexually abused Anthony Rapp, a fellow actor, in 1986. Rapp was 14 at the time; Spacey was 26. Rapp had filed a lawsuit seeking $40 million in damages.