BRITISH talent led the way at the 2009 Golden Globes on Sunday (January 11), with Kate Winslet winning two of the top acting awards and Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire taking four prizes.

Winslet was named best actress for her role alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road, and best supporting actress for her portrayal of a Nazi war criminal in The Reader.

And commenting after picking up her second trophy, the stunned star was moved to ask: “Is this really happening?”

Winslet had been widely tipped to land the best supporting actress prize for Stephen Daldry’s The Reader, but her triumph for Revolutionary Road – in which her husband, Sam Mendes, directs her as a frustrated housewife in ’50s America – was a big surprise.

On Friday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organises the Globes, mistakenly identified Anne Hathaway as the winner of the best dramatic actress category for indie wedding drama Rachel Getting Married – but later denied this was a “leak” and claimed the recipient remained a secret.

She subsequently added: “It’s just unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable. It’s not supposed to happen.”

She also thanked her husband, Mendes, for “killing us every single day” on the set of Revolutionary Road and paid tribute to her “spectacular” co-star, DiCaprio, with whom she had been reunited for the first time since the similarly awards-laden Titanic.

Further British acting success came in the best comedy actress category, where Sally Hawkins triumphed for her role in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky, and for Irish star Colin Farrell, who was named best actor in a musical or comedy for his role as a hit man in black comedy In Bruges.

Slumdog success

While Winslet was the toast of the acting honours, Danny Boyle had another night to remember for his Mumbai-set drama Slumdog Millionaire.

The movie was named best film drama, while Boyle took best director, and there were also prizes for Simon Beaufoy’s screenplay and for AR Rahman’s score.

The film follows the fortunes of a slumdog kid who becomes the unlikely winner of India’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and co-stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto.

Commenting on his own personal prize, director Boyle said: “Your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated. Really, deeply appreciated. We never expected to be here.”

Ledger and Rourke take male acting honours

Late actor Heath Ledger was given a posthumous supporting actor prize for his performance as The Joker in Christopher Nolan’s Batman sequel The Dark Knight, while comeback king Mickey Rourke was named best actor in a drama for The Wrestler.

Ledger’s honour was accepted by Nolan, who said the late actor would be “eternally missed but never forgotten”.

“All of us who worked with Heath accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride,” he added.

Rourke, meanwhile, was overcome with emotion, admitting that, “it’s been a very long road back for me.”

Further film prizes

Other big winners at the star-studded ceremony – which was cancelled last year due to the writers’ strike – included Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which was named best comedy, ahead of audience favourite Mamma Mia! and Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky.

Bruce Springsteen, meanwhile, won the best original song prize for his title track to The Wrestler, and immediately paid tribute to fellow nominee, Clint Eastwood, saying it had felt “pretty good” to be competing against the veteran star.

Pixar’s Wall-E was named best animated feature, while animated documentary Waltz with Bashir received the best foreign language film accolade.

Steven Spielberg, meanwhile, was finally presented with the Cecil B DeMille Award for his “outstanding contribution to the entertainment field”, having been due to receive the honour last year before the ceremony was scrapped.

Beaming with pride, he joked: “I’m 62 years old. Am I old enough to win a lifetime achievement award? Yes, I am.”

Incredibly, there were no awards for pre-awards favourites The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt or Frost/Nixon, which had led the field with five nominations apiece.

The Golden Globes recognise both film and television and are often regarded as an indicator of the movies and actors who will go on to win honours at the Academy Awards.

See the winners in full

• Delicious
• Digg
• Reddit
• Facebook
• Stumbleupon