Rupert Everett landed in Turin, Italy, on Thursday to collect the Star of the Mole, the special award given by the National Cinema Museum to personalities who have left an indelible mark on the world of cinema and society. The award — a pink star — is presented during the Lovers Film Festival, Europe’s oldest gay festival (this is its 39th edition), directed by Vladimir Luxuria, who says that “Rupert Everett was one of the first international stars to come out and fight for civil rights.”

In accepting the honor, Everett joins a list of previous honorees that includes the likes of Oliver Stone, Tim Burton, Malcolm McDowell, Monica Bellucci and many others.

The British actor, who turns 65 on May 29, came out publicly in 1989, five years after he made an indelible impression as a double agent in Marek Kanievska’s drama Another Country. The film was an adaptation of Julien Mitchell...