Madrid, Sep 21 (IANS/EFE) Actress Julia Roberts has been awarded the San Sebastian International Film Festival's Donostia Prize for lifetime achievement.

Roberts, 42, received the award from her "Eat, Pray, Love" co-star Javier Bardem, who was full of praise for the "extraordinary" and "versatile" actress.

"She touches all genres without any effort. She has the capacity to transmit all types of emotions," Bardem said after a video showcasing Roberts' career.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," the Oscar-winning actress later said.

"I watch all that and I just think what a lucky girl, what a very fortunate woman I have been in my life for such a variety of reasons," she said.

"'Eat, Pray, Love' was truly an experience that changed my life, I worked harder than I worked in a decade, I made friends for a lifetime," the actress said of her latest film.

Hundreds of people gathered at the venue for the award ceremony of the 58th edition of the Spanish-speaking world's most prestigious film festival, and Roberts delighted the crowd by signing autographs and posing with fans for photos.

Previous winners of the award include Meryl Streep, Gregory Peck, Vittorio Gassman, Bette Davis, Robert Mitchum, Lana Turner, Woody Allen, Jeff Bridges and Annette Bening.