Made a significant contribution to American culture recently? Well unless you're in that headline, you've not done well enough. Dustin Hoffman, David Letterman, Buddy Guy, Natalia Makarova and Led Zeppelin have, and they've been recognized with a Kennedy centre honour because of it. Here are the winners:

Robert De Niro introduced actor and director Dustin Hoffman as a "world class, spectacular, colossal ... pain in the ass," before the 2000-strong audience were privy to a compilation of some of his best and most loved performances. "He just thinks at a different velocity," actor Liev Schreiber told reporters on the red carpet. "He burns at a brighter intensity," he added, according to Time.  

Natalia Makarova, renowned for her work as the lead in Giselle, became a star dancing with the Kirov Ballet in the 1950s and 1960s. She was awarded for her pure dedication and excellence in her field. Buddy Guy has won six Grammys for his work in rock as well as traditional and contemporary blues, and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so it was about time the Kennedy Center gave him a call. 

The name David Letterman speaks for itself, with him being one of the most prominent American entertainers of all time. "He changed comedy by breaking all rules of status for himself or for his guests," newsman Stephen Colbert told TIME. "He had respect for that which he respected but no respect for respectability itself, especially his own."

Led Zeppelin - following controversy over their 'last' gigs and eventual dismissal of a comeback proper, are last but not least. What else is there to say? Led Zeppelin: started in the 70's, still in the headphones of many today.