Gay Byrne will be presented with the International Variety Club's highest honour, the Gold Card award, at a ceremony in Dublin later this month.
Mr Byrne is only the second Irishman to receive the award, normally reserved for heads of state. Former president Dr Patrick Hillery was similarly honoured.
The Variety Club of Ireland recommended Mr Byrne receive the award and it will be presented to him later this month.
The International Variety Club was founded in 1927 by American show business professionals. It is an international charity organisation dedicated to helping children who are sick, disabled and disadvantaged, and is made up of people from the world of entertainment and business.
It has an international network of charities stretching from Canada to New Zealand.
This is not the first time Mr Byrne has received awards that are normally reserved for heads of state and other international figures.
Earlier this year, he joined a list of freemen of Dublin city which includes Nelson Mandela, President Clinton, John F. Kennedy, Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa.
In 1988 an honorary degree from Trinity College Dublin was conferred on him and in 1990 he received the Lord Mayor's award.