Bates honoured for years of work

Kathy Bates has been nominated for three Oscars and won one

US actress Kathy Bates is being honoured with the Mary Pickford Award, for an "outstanding contribution" to entertainment after 35 years of acting.

The International Press Academy (IPA) will present the gong at the Satellite Awards in Beverly Hills in December.

IPA president Mirjana Van Blaricom, said the actress had shown "complete and total dedication to the roles she has chosen".

The 59-year-old won an Oscar in 1991 for her role in the thriller Misery.

"She embodies a genuine reflection of the best performers who have made the entertainment industry what it is today," Van Blaricom said.

Previous recipients of the award include Martin Landau, Jodie Foster, Francis Ford Coppola, Susan Sarandon, Gena Rowlands and Karl Malden.

Bates has recently appeared in children's films Charlotte's Web and Bee Movie.

She received two further Academy Award nominations after her best actress Oscar - for Primary Colours in 1999 and About Schmidt in 2003 - and has also directed episodes of TV shows Six Feet Under and NYPD Blue.

The Satellite Awards honour the most outstanding achievements in the fields of cinema, television and new media.

The lifetime achievement award is named in honour of silent movie actress Mary Pickford, who is often referred to as America's first film star.