Michael Caine to be awarded Freedom of the City of London (TELEGRAPH)

by Daisy Bowie-2:00PM GMT 08 Mar 2013

British actor Sir Michael Caine will be given the Freedom of the City of London.

In the past, the honour has been bestowed upon other actors including Dame Judi Dench, and figures such as Winston Churchill, Diana, Princess of Wales and Nelson Mandela have also been recipients.

One of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies, the award is thought to date back to 1237.

The honour is the latest in a long list awarded to Caine, who will turn 80 next week.

Caine was originally from London, having grown up in Southwark. Born Maurice Micklewhite in 1933 to a fish porter and a cleaner, he became famous for his roles in films such as Zulu, The Italian Job and The Ipcress File.

READ MORE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/9917793/Michael-Caine-to-be-awarded-Freedom-of-the-City-of-London.html

Colin Firth receives London honor (ABC36)

Actor Colin Firth attends a photocall as he is made a Freeman of the City of London at Guildhall Art Gallery on March 8, 2012 in London, England. (Tim Whitby, Getty Images)

Oscar-winning star Colin Firth has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London for his stellar acting career.

The actor was given the honor at a ceremony in the U.K. capital. It traditionally permits the recipient to be drunk and disorderly on the streets of the city without fearing arrest, and to drive sheep over London Bridge - but these privileges are mainly symbolic in modern times.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, The King's Speech star told the BBC, "London is my home and I'm hugely touched and honored by this gesture." Previous recipients of the traditional honor include writer Rudyard Kipling.


Read more:  http://www.wtvq.com/entertainment/story/Firth-receives-London-honor/L-QPV-obpkW1G4VsldRKmg.cspx

Colin Firth becomes a Freeman in the City of London (BBC NEWS)

Firth said he was 'hugely touched'

Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth has been given the Freedom of the City of London for services to acting.

Firth accepted the honour at the Guildhall by reading the Declaration of a Freeman, which allows him to carry out his trade.

Ahead of the ceremony the actor said: "London is my home and I'm hugely touched and honoured by this gesture."

Author Rudyard Kipling and former prime ministers Benjamin Disraeli and Robert Peel count as former recipients.

The title, thought to have begun in 1237, came with several traditional privileges, such as driving sheep over London Bridge, being drunk and disorderly without fear of arrest, or, if sentenced to death, being hanged with a silken rope.

Read further:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17300320