A medal for Steven Spielberg

Award-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg, long recognized for his artistic achievements, was honored with the Liberty Medal on Thursday for his compassion and humanitarian work.

Former President Bill Clinton presented the medal to Spielberg at the National Constitution Center, which offers history-based exhibits focused on the U.S. Constitution and gives the annual award to those whose actions represent the founding principles of the United States.

“We honor a man today who has always been able to make a simple story and make it scary, make a simple story and make it interesting and make a simple story and remind us of the greatness in us all,” Clinton said.

Spielberg’s movies include the Holocaust drama “Schindler’s List” and the World War II epic “Saving Private Ryan,” which both landed him Academy Awards.

“Art is and should endeavor to be among the human enterprises that contribute to the building of good and free societies,” said Spielberg, whose other projects include “Amistad,” about a slave ship mutiny, and the HBO series “Band of Brothers,” about a company of soldiers during World War II.

In choosing Spielberg for the award, the center said he “presented stories of the struggle and triumph of humanity over tyranny, informing and inspiring millions to better understand the abiding call of liberty.”

After making “Schindler’s List,” based on the true story of a man who tries to save Jews from the Nazis, Spielberg established a foundation to produce video and oral histories of Holocaust survivors.

The birthday bunch

Comedian-activist Dick Gregory is 77. Sam Moore of Sam and Dave is 74. “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace is 62. Susan Anton is 59. Carlos Bernard (“24”) is 47. Jazz musician Chris Botti is 47. Hugh Jackman (“X-Men”) is 41. Adam Rich (“Eight Is Enough”) is 41. Fiddler Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks is 40.