UK actors triumph at Golden Globe awards

UK actors Rachel Weisz and Hugh Laurie were among the winners in last night’s Golden Globe Awards, widely seen as a good indicator to the Academy Awards, which take place on 5 March.

Rachel Weisz took the award for best supporting dramatic actress for ‘The Constant Gardener’, a political thriller directed by Fernando Meirelles and adapted from the bestselling novel by John le Carre. Receiving the award, Weisz said it was shared with her co-star, Ralph Fiennes, who played her husband in the film, whom she described as a “magical, committed actor”.

Also honoured was Hugh Laurie, who won the Golden Globe for best actor in a TV drama for his role as a misanthropic doctor in the medical drama ‘House’. The show is a huge critical and commercial success in the US, and has seen Laurie transformed into a household name in America.

Sir Anthony Hopkins was honoured with the Cecil B DeMille award for lifetime achievement, which was presented to the Welsh-born actor by Gwyneth Paltrow.

Sir Anthony, who won an Oscar for his role as Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ has been nominated for six Golden Globes during the past 18 years. Sir Anthony said: "I've been around a long time and I never expected this. This industry has been really good to me."

A clutch of awards went to ‘Brokeback Mountain’, including best dramatic picture, best director (Ang Lee), best screenplay and best original song.

Philip Seymour Hoffman scooped best dramatic actor for his portrayal of the writer Truman Capote in ‘Capote’, while Felicity Huffman, best known for her role in ‘Desperate Housewifes’, picked up best dramatic actress for ‘Transamerica’.

(CL)