He received the honor from French Ambassador Philippe Thiebaud during a ceremony held at the Embassy of France in Tehran.

The medal is one of the most coveted trophies in the world of art and culture awarded by the French government.

Hosseini is mostly famous for his role in Farhadi’s The Salesman, which brought him the Palme d’Or for best actor at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016.

Chevalier of the Legion of Honor medal has been awarded to over 30 Iranian artists, including painter Aidin Aghdashlu, actress Leila Hatami, calligrapher Gholamhossein Amirkhani, cartoonist Kambiz Derambakhsh, vocalist Shahram Nazeri and filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

In 2014, Iranian composer and tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh declined to accept the award, stating that he doesn’t need decorations and that he derives satisfaction from his good name.

Source: Tehran Times