US President Barack Obama has honoured actor/director Clint Eastwood and musician Bob Dylan with arts and humanities awards.

The White House called Eastwood’s films as “essays in individuality” and Dylan as “an icon of youthful rebellion and poetic sensitivity”.

“Their careers have helped to mark the landscape of American culture for decades,” the BBC quoted Obama as saying.

Composer John Williams and Soprano Jessye Norman were also honoured.

“Each has taken a different path to get here, each has made the most of different gifts, but all of them have reached the peaks of cultural achievement and all of them are a testament to the breadth and depth of the human spirit,” Obama added.

They were among 20 people and institutions recognised for their contributions to American culture through the arts and humanities.

Each recipient received a medal from the president.

Oscar and Grammy winner Rita Moreno, artist Frank Stella and Pulitzer Prize winner Robert A Caro were also presented with an award.