Actor Donald Sutherland has been awarded the honour Commander of the Arts in France for his contribution to cinema.

Mr Sutherland was decorated at a ceremony in Paris by former French Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand, who praised the Canadian star’s “extraordinary” career − with diverse roles in films such as Federico Fellini’s Casanova.

There were chuckles as Mr Mitterrand struggled to tie the medallion around the 76-year-old actor, who sported the long silver hair last seen for his role in blockbuster movie The Hunger Games.

The actor said he loved France and thanked his French-speaking wife for introducing him to the country’s culture through “cinema, but also cheese and baguettes”.