Colin Firth - King Of The Golden Globes

British actor Colin Firth was the 'King' of the Golden Globes last night after he won the Best Actor in a Drama award for his role in The King's Speech.

The 50-year-old actor won the award for his role as King George VI in the film, but although The King's Speech was nominated in seven categories, it failed to win any other awards.

Firth's win will make him a favourite to scoop the Best Actor at the Oscars, with the Golden Globes being traditionally seen as an indicator of how the Oscar voting will turn out.

The Social Network, which tells the story of the creation of social networking site Facebook, was the big winner on the night, scooping four awards, including Best Film (Drama) and Best Director for David Fincher.

Natalie Portman won the Best Actress in a Drama award for her role as a tortured ballerina in psychological thriller Black Swan, while British actor Christian Bale was named Best Supporting Actor in The Fighter, with his co-star Melissa Leo winning the female equivalent for her role in the boxing drama, which was based on the early years of boxer Micky Ward, played by Mark Wahlberg.

The Kids Are All Right, a comedy about a lesbian couple who are reunited with the biological father of their teenage children, was named Best Film (Musical or Comedy), with Annette Bening being named Best Actress in a Film (Musical or Comedy) ahead of her co-star Julianne Moore.

Paul Giamatti was named Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role in Barney's Version.

Toy Story 3 was named Best Animated Feature, while in the television awards, Boardwalk Empire was named Best Drama Television Series, with its star Steve Buscemi named Best Actor in a Television Drama Series. Glee was named Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy), with actors Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch picking up the awards for Best Supporting Actor and Actress respectively.

Hollywood legend Robert De Niro received the Cecil B. de Mille award for lifetime achievement at the ceremony.

British comedian Ricky Gervais hosted the ceremony, which took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, making several controversial jokes about stars including Charlie Sheen and Hugh Hefner.

(KMcA)