A host of stars turned out to see four cinematic veterans honoured at the Governor's Awards in Los Angeles. Actor-musician Harry Belafonte, Irish actress Maureen O'Hara, Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki and French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere were celebrated at the event.

Belafonte was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his activism. The 87-year-old was a prominent civil rights campaigner and friend of Martin Luther King Jr, who he helped financially support during his fight against segregation.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also handed lifetime awards to Miyazaki, O'Hara and Carriere. Miyazaki, 73, has been Oscar nominated three times for his dark animations, winning the animated feature award in 2002 for “Spirited Away". Although O'Hara, 94, never received an Oscar nomination during her career she appeared in many muchloved films including "Our Man in Havana", "The Parent Trap" and "The Quiet Man", which won director John Ford an Academy Award.

Jean-Claude Carriere is a prolific screenwriter who has worked on films in many languages including French, German and English.

Source: BBC