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BBC NEWS | Entertainment | French honour for Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper receives his award

Hopper is about to appear in a TV adaptation of film Crash

Dennis Hopper has been made a commander in France's National Order of Arts and Letters in a ceremony in Paris.

The US actor, 72, whose films include Blue Velvet, Apocalypse Now and 1969's Easy Rider, was moved as he received the prize.

To mark the occasion an exhibition of Hopper's work is opening in Paris, which will run until to 19 January.

It is being held at Cinematique Francaise, which is the French national film library.

It will be a celebration of his life and work and will include his films as well as photographs and paintings.

It will also feature pieces from his own private art collection including works from pop artists Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg.

Hopper is about to appear in TV series Crash, an adaptation of the Oscar-winning film of the same name which will be shown from Friday in the US.

He has described his character, Los Angeles music producer Ben Cendars, as "a shocking guy".

An earlier version of this story stated that Dennis Hopper had become a commander in the French Legion of Honour. This information was supplied by the Associated Press news agency, which has since issued a correction.