Movie veteran Dick Van Dyke is to be handed the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.

The actor will receive the accolade at the 19th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles next year.

The prize, which is given annually to actors who display the "finest ideals of the acting profession," will be handed to Van Dyke in recognition of his career achievements and humanitarian work, according to Deadline.com.

Ken Howard, President of the Screen Actors Guild, says, "Dick is the consummate entertainer - an enormously talented performer whose work has crossed nearly every major category of entertainment. From his career-changing Broadway turn in Bye Bye Birdie and his deadpan humor in the Emmy winning Dick Van Dyke Show, to his unforgettable performance as Bert in Mary Poppins, he sets a high bar for actors.

"Stage, big screen, small screen, literally everywhere he has worked he has inspired millions of fans and has had a tremendously positive impact on the industry and the world. He is so deserving of this honor and I congratulate him."

The Hollywood legend's career spans across stage, radio, television and film and he has a star in his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.