SAG 2019: Robert De Niro to be awarded the Lifetime Achievement award

Veteran actor and multiple Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro will be honoured with the Screen Actors Guild's lifetime achievement award this year.

De Niro, who was recently seen in Joker and The Irishman, will receive the award at the 26th annual SAG awards on January 19. 

In a statement, De Niro said, "I have been a member of this union for over 50 years. It's an honour to receive this award from SAG-AFTRA." The award is given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession".

"Robert De Niro is an actor of extraordinary depth and ability," said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris.

"The characters he creates captivate our imaginations. From the smouldering inferno of young Vito Corleone to the raging bull Jake Lamotta and everybody's grandpa Ben Whittaker, he continues to touch our hearts and open our minds to new and exciting worlds of understanding and emotion. It is my great privilege to announce that SAG-AFTRA's highest honour will be presented to one of the most singular talents of our generation, Robert De Niro," Carteris added.

De Niro, who has received seven Oscar nominations, won Academy Awards for his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II and Jake Lamotta in Raging Bull. 

Previous winners of SAG Lifetime Achievement award include Alan Alda, Morgan Freeman, Dick van Dyke and Rita Moreno.