The Queen's Birthday Honours List has been announced, with Belfast-born writer and singer Van Morrison receiving a knighthood.
Best known for Brown-Eyed Girl and Gloria, the 69-year-old began his career in the 1960s and continues to write and perform.
He is honoured for his services to music and tourism in Northern Ireland.
Actor and comedian Lenny Henry also gets a knighthood, while Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is awarded a CBE - news of both those awards leaked out before the official announcement.
Dudley-born Henry - real name Lenworth Henry - was given the honour for his charity efforts after working on Comic Relief for many years.
He said: "This is not just for me, this is for everyone who has done something for Comic Relief, every person who has helped us raise £1bn and for everyone who works at Comic Relief, this is for you too."
Kevin Spacey, who stepped down as artistic director of London's Old Vic theatre earlier this year, is awarded an honorary knighthood for services to British theatre and international culture.
Spacey said: "I am honoured and humbled by such recognition from the Queen.
"I must thank the British public for being so supportive of my efforts on behalf of the Old Vic. I feel like an adopted son."
BAFTA-winner and 12 Years A Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor gains a CBE for services to drama, as does former journalist and MasterChef and Through The Keyhole originator Loyd Grossman.
Gaining a CBE for services to heritage was like "unwrapping a wonderful present", he said.
Steven Moffat, the man behind the Sherlock and Doctor Who TV series, said he was "just really, really happy" to get an OBE for services to drama.
He said: "I never thought I would get something like this.
"I'm astonished and more thrilled than I ever thought someone like me would be."
Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne is awarded an OBE for services to drama, as is singer and actor Michael Ball, who said he was "chuffed to bits" with the honour and told how his father had cried at the news.
"It came out of the blue. I wasn't expecting it and I don't know what to say," he said.
"I love these things. For people in our business, it's all we want is for people to say: 'You are lovely'."
Fans of Paddington Bear will also be pleased that the character's creator, Michael Bond, is also getting a CBE.
Following apparent leaks surrounding the honours, Honours Committee chairman Sir Jonathan Stephens said he was "very disappointed".
Recipients learn of their award weeks before but are asked to keep it to themselves until the announcement.
Dame Esther Rantzen, whose own gong was leaked unofficially beforehand, said it was like ruining a present by opening it before Christmas Day.
The Childline founder and TV presenter said she suspected someone was leaking the information for financial returns.
"There is someone in the mysterious smoke-filled rooms who is looking at the list," she told the BBC.
The famous names are just a handful of the 1,163 people recognised for their achievements.
Other people honoured include Will Pooley, the Ebola nurse who was last year evacuated to London from Sierra Leone after catching the deadly virus.
The woman who started a fundraising campaign for disabled pensioner Alan Barnes after he was mugged gets a British Empire Medal.
Katie Cutler, 22, hoped to raise £500 but ended up generating more than £300,000, allowing him to buy a new home.
Journalist Caroline Criado-Perez, whose campaign to keep a woman on a British banknote resulted in a torrent of online abuse against her, has been named an OBE for her work towards equality and diversity.
Among the sports stars on the list are England rugby hero Jonny Wilkinson, who finally gets a CBE after wrongly being rumoured to be on last year's list; footballer Frank Lampard and record-breaking cricketer James Anderson - who both get OBEs.
Welsh rugby star Gareth Edwards also gets a knighthood for his long service to the game, while England women's football captain Casey Stoney has been named an MBE.
