9:21AM, Jan 12, 2009
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: HEATH LEDGER IN THE DARK KNIGHT
There was a tragic inevitability to Heath Ledger's triumph for his portrayal as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Entirely deserving of the award, the Golden Globe win also stood as a tribute to the late star, whose death in January 2008 was a devastating shock.
The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan accepted the award with, as he put it, "sorrow and immense pride," adding, "He will be eternally missed but he will never be forgotten".
As the Joker Heath Ledger meet and beat the iconic performance Jack Nicholson gave in the 1989 Batman. His Clown Prince of Crime was closer in tone to the graphic novels, particularly The Killing Joke and The Dark Knight Returns, rejecting one liners and camp theatrics for a chilling and dangerous performance as a lethal, self-styled "agent of chaos".
To prepare for the role, Ledger holed himself up in a motel room for roughly six weeks, working on the character psychology, lip-licking tics and the trademark voice, using the comics, Sid Vicious, and Malcolm McDowell's performance in A Clockwork Orange as reference.
What Ledger created was a definitive screen Joker, and the darkest character ever to grace a certificate 12 movie.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: KATE WINSLET IN THE READER
Britain’s Kate Winslet picked up a Golden Globe for her performance in The Reader – the first time she’d won in seven attempts.
A visibly shaken and touched Winslet trembled as she thanked everyone from her agent, to novel's writer Bernard Schlink, to the costume and make-up department.She also paid tribute to producers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack - who both passed away when the film was being made – and thanked director Stephen Daldry. “I loved every single second of working with you.”
She had previously been nominated for Sense & Sensibility (1995), Titanic (1997), Iris (2001), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Little Children (2006).
RUNNERS-UP - THE NOMINEES: ACTRESSES
VIOLA DAVIS IN DOUBT
The horse groom's daughter, who first grabbed attention in the sci-fi drama Solaris, plays the mother of a black student in a searing drama about Catholic abuse.
AMY ADAMS IN DOUBT
The Enchanted actress switched tack to play a naive sister in director John Patrick Stanley's hardhitting drama.
MARISA TOMEI IN THE WRESTLER
The Oscar-winning actress plays the stripper girlfriend of Mickey Rourke in his return-to-form turn.
PENELOPE CRUZ IN VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
The Spanish star plays a the deceived former wife of Javier Bardem in Woody Allen's return to romantic form.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: NOMINEES
TOM CRUISE IN TROPIC THUNDER
The Top Gun star shed his dignity (but donned a fat suit) to play a megalomaniac Hollywood mogul in Ben Stiller's war movie spoof.
RALPH FIENNES IN THE DUCHESS
The twice Oscar-nominated star played the wayward Keira Knightley's husband, the Duke of Devonshire, in the 18th century-set drama.
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN IN DOUBT
The actor, who won an Oscar for Capote, played a priest who is suspected of abusing a black student in the religious drama.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR IN TROPIC THUNDER
With the Oscar-nominated former bad boy's rehabilitation complete, he blacked up to lampoon the method acting gang in Ben Stiller's war movie spoof.
