Hollywood legend Meryl Streep is to be honoured with the lifetime achievement prize, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, at the Golden Globes in the new year.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes for the Golden Globes, announced to various news outlets on Thursday morning (November 3rd) that it was bestowing its highest honour upon the 67 year old actress.

Every year, the Cecil B. DeMille Award is given to a talented individual whose body of work has contributed significantly to the medium of film in general, and the wider world of entertainment.

Meryl StreepMeryl Streep at the premiere of 'Florence Foster Jenkins' in 2016

“It's no surprise that the HFPA has chosen Meryl Streep as the recipient of the 2017 Cecil B. DeMille Award,” said the HFPA’s president, Lorenzo Soria, in a statement. “Meryl's enthralling body of work across a diverse set of genres has made her a role model over the past 40 years, and she will continue to do so for generations to come.”

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Past recipients of the award have included Woody Allen, Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and George Clooney.

Soria continued: “She has always taken roles with strong female leads, creating art by showing vulnerability and portraying truth on the big screen. Simply put, she is a trailblazer, having paved the way for women in television, film and stage. For shattering gender and age barriers, all with finesse and grace, the HFPA is humbled to bestow this honor upon her.”

Streep, an outspoken campaigner in favour of gender equality for many years, has collected a number of lifetime recognition awards from other organisations and has a wide standing in the movie industry.

Recently, she has been throwing her support behind Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as she does battle with divisive Republican Donald Trump ahead of next Tuesday’s election.

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