The Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service recognize those "who have advanced and enriched the world community through their exceptional lifetime accomplishments."

This year's recipients are recognized in the fields of Dramatic Arts, Mass Communications, Science and Literature.

In addition to Spacey, who is the Dramatic Arts honoree, the other awards recipients include Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, for Mass Communications; Col. Buzz Aldrin, USAF (Ret.), Sc.D., legendary astronaut and lunar explorer, for Science; and Don DeLillo, preeminent American novelist and a leading figure of postmodern literature, for Literature.

The upcoming evening will be hosted by PNC Bank, Delaware.

In a statement Connie Bond Stuart, president of PNC Bank, said, "The 2009 Common Wealth Award winners represent the spectrum of human endeavor, and the pinnacle of intellectual and artistic achievement. Their contributions stand as a legacy of leadership and knowledge that will inspire the dreams and deeds of generations to follow. PNC is proud to commemorate the 30th anniversary of this esteemed tradition, and as steward of the Common Wealth Trust, we join in saluting this year's distinguished honorees." The Common Wealth Awards of Distinguished Service were first presented in 1979 by the Common Wealth Trust, created under the will of the late Ralph Hayes, a business executive and philanthropist.

Spacey has served as the artistic director of London's Old Vic Theatre Company since 2003. His London stage credits include National Anthems, The Philadelphia Story, Richard II, A Moon for the Misbegotten, Speed-the-Plow, and The Iceman Cometh, for which he earned the Evening Standard and Olivier Award for Best Actor. Spacey was awarded a Tony for Lost in Yonkers and has been Tony-nominated for his Broadway appearances in the Old Vic transfers of A Moon for the Misbegotten and The Iceman Cometh. His numerous screen credits include Oscar-winning performances in "American Beauty" and "The Usual Suspects," as well as "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," "Superman Returns," "Pay It Forward" and "HurlyBurly."