U.S. President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and members of One Direction were among the stars who paid tribute to Simon Cowell as he picked up a prestigious award at a Tv conference in France this week (beg13Oct14).

The X Factor mogul accepted the Personality of the Year prize at the Mipcom entertainment convention, an annual four-day industry event in Cannes, on Tuesday (14Oct14) for changing the face of the Tv and music industries.

During his speech, Cowell fought back tears as he paid tribute to his son Eric, and his late father, telling the audience, "This whole year, starting with Eric, has just been glorious. He changed my whole life for the better... I just wish my dad was here."

A tribute video was played with a number of high-profile well-wishers delivering messages of praise to the star.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said in the video, "Simon, you may be known as Tv's bad guy but for many decades you've been doing good; boosting Britain's creative industries, our economy and the world of film, music and Tv. What you may not have in tact, you certainly have in talent," while Tv legend Winfrey added, "He is a master because he has turned honesty into an art form."

Others featured in the video include U.S. President Obama, members of One Direction, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, movie boss Harvey Weinstein, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, filmmaker Richard Curtis and supermodel Heidi Klum.

During his keynote speech at the conference on Monday (13Oct14), Cowell revealed he is determined to bring The X Factor back to American Tv, branding the U.S. show's cancellation earlier in the year (14) a "mistake".