Showbiz
Rex Features
French culture minister Christine Albanel made the 71-year-old an honorary commander in the country's National Order Of Arts And Letters at a ceremony Hoffman attended with wife Lisa Gottsegen.
Albanel said: "You have such a dramatic power that it is difficult to dissociate you from the characters you have played."
Paying tribute to Hoffman's performances in Kramer Vs. Kramer and Rain Man, the minister called him a "movie great" as she tied a green medallion around his neck, PA reports.
Hoffman took a few moments to compose himself before joking: "When you get to my age, you cry at the weather reports."
He likened receiving the honour to "the best dream" possible before stating that he has long been an admirer of French cinema.
More: Dustin Hoffman, Showbiz
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