Actor Morgan Freeman picked up the 43rd Chaplin Award from the Film Society of Lincoln Center on Monday in New York.

Freeman, who grew up in rural Mississippi, became a household name in the 1980s with noteworthy performances in "Driving Miss Daisy" and "Glory" in 1989. In 2005, he won an Oscar for his work in "Million Dollar Baby."

"I'm from a small town in a small state and when you start thinking about where you came from and looking back the first thing that comes to mind is the word luck," said the 78-year-old.

With a career that spans over 50 years, Freeman said, as a matter of fact, the thing that keeps him acting is simple: "I'm good at it - that's it bottom line. It's what I've always been able to do without a whole lot of effort."

The veteran actor was celebrated by former cast mates Robert De Niro and Helen Mirren, who called the actor's body of work extraordinary.

"The fact that he's still there getting better. I'm sure that his feeling is that he's still learning and I think that's the magic of someone like Morgan," said Mirren who co-starred with Freeman in the 2010 film "Red."

The Chaplin Award was first awarded to Charlie Chaplin in 1972 who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the honor.

Past recipients include Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier and Catherine Deneuve.