Veteran actor Warren Beatty has been honoured with a lifetime achievement accolade at the annual American Film Institute awards.

Stars including Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Diane Keaton and Beatty's wife Annette Bening watched as the 71-year-old received the prize on Thursday, in recognition of his contributions to the film industry in his nearly 50-year career as an actor, director and producer.

Accepting the Afi lifetime trophy, the long-time supporter of liberal politics noted, "I'm still a liberal when it's coming back in style."

[imdb]