Elton John, composer John Williams, soprano Dame Joan Sutherland, actor Warren Beatty and producers Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee have all been honoured for their lifetime contributions to American culture by the Kennedy Centre in Washington.
Commenting on his award, Elton told the audience at the awards event: "It's incredible for someone who's British to be given such an accolade from America, which has given me so much already in my career."
Commenting on the composing genius of John Williams, Steven Spielberg recalled how he had told Williams that his two-note score for the movie Jaws seemed "rather thin", to which Williams replied: "I really think that's all you need."