James Corden to be honored at Oscar Wilde Awards

British actor/TV star James Corden will be named an honorary Irishman at the Oscar Wilde Awards next year (16).

The Into the Woods star has been chosen by members of the U.S.-Ireland Alliance to receive the honor in recognition of his contributions to film and television.

The prize is usually given to entertainers with Irish roots, but it is occasionally handed to honorary Irishmen or Irishwomen.

"He deserves to be our 'honorary Irishman' this year just on the basis of the courage it takes to perform with some of the finest Irish dancers in the world," U.S.-Ireland Alliance president Trina Vargo says in a statement, referring to Corden's one-off gig with a Riverdance troupe filmed for his late night chat show in September (15).

Previous honorees include Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Brendan Gleeson and Van Morrison.

The 11th annual Oscar Wilde Awards will take place in Santa Monica, California on 25 February (15).