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Paris (dpa) - The French government has honoured Spanish actress Penelope Cruz by making her a Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters, French media reported Thursday.
The 31-year-old Madrid native and star of "Blow" and "All About My Mother" received the award in a ceremony held late Wednesday in Paris and presided over by French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres.
"It's France's role to be the ardent defender of cultural diversity and to recognize those who extend, with their talent, the culture of their country," de Vabres said. "I'm happy to have honoured this great European actress."
Declaring that she did not think she deserved the distinction, Cruz said, "I promise to do my best so that France will not regret it."
Cruz was accompanied by her sister and Mexican actress Salma Hayek, her co-star in the film "Bandidas", which will open in France next week.
Previous recipients of the honour include Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese and Bruce Willis.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
