John Cleese receives career award at Sarajevo Film Festival

The British actor was given a standing ovation when he accepted the lifetime achievement award

English actor John Cleese poses for photos with Sarajevo Film Festival's top honour award, the Heart of Sarajevo Award, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
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British actor and comedian John Cleese received the honorary lifetime achievement award at the Sarajevo Film Festival in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina this week.

Cleese, best known as a member of the famous comedy team Monty Python's Flying Circus, received a standing ovation from fans at the open-air venue where he gave an acceptance speech.

"I accept it not as a film person, but more as a comedian because I think at this time in world history, we've never needed comedians more," Cleese said.

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Cleese, 77, was part of a genre of university-educated comedians who took British audiences by storm in the 1970s with an irreverent, zany style of humour.

He went on to make several movies, including Life of Brian and A Fish Called Wanda.

The Sarajevo Film Festival began in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War and has since evolved into a major film event in southeastern Europe.

Reuters