Frank Gehry, Lorne Michaels, Diana Ross honoured with U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom

A Canadian-born architect and the Canadian who created Saturday Night Live, both from Toronto,are getting America's highest civilian honour today.

U.S.President Barack Obama will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Frank Gehry, Lorne Michaels and 19 other groundbreaking actors, musicians and athletes.

Gehry's works have helped define contemporary architecture.

His best-known buildings include the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Guggenheim Museum building in Bilbao, Spain and the revamped Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto.

In addition to creating and producing Saturday Night Live, Michaels produced The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and Tina Fey's sitcom30 Rock.

He has won 13 Emmy Awards over the course of his lengthy career.

• Canadians Lorne Michaels, Frank Gehry to receive U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom

Others being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom today include actors Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro and Robert Redford, singers Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross and recently retired sports broadcaster Vin Scully.