MADRID, Spain (AP) - Javier Bardem has won Spain's 2008 national film award, an honor given annually by the Culture Ministry.

Bardem was selected for the $46,500 prize for "goals achieved throughout a long career."

The ministry, in a statement Wednesday, highlighted the 39-year-old actor's "defense of the acting profession and a constant commitment to Spanish cinema."

Bardem won a best supporting actor Oscar for "No Country for Old Men." His screen credits also include "Before Night Falls."

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