"American Beauty" won Golden Globes for best dramatic picture, best director and best screenplay, but its actors were shut out of the awards

January 24, 2000
Web posted at: 6:16 p.m. EST (2316 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

BEVERLY HILLS, California -- The Golden Globe Awards are often a good indicator of Oscar nominees the following month. If that trend holds this year, Oscar will be spread around.

While the dark drama "American Beauty" on Sunday won three of the six Golden Globes for which it was nominated, its actors were shut out of the awards.

The film won best dramatic picture, best director and best screenplay. But Denzel Washington beat "American Beauty" star Kevin Spacey and the other nominees in the best film actor-drama category for his work in "The Hurricane." Washington brought the film's inspiration, former boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, to the stage as he accepted his award.

"When they said my name, I said, 'There is no way I can go up here without sharing it with Rubin,'" Washington told the audience. "Everything that has happened with this film and this moment is about the love that has come from him."

	ALSO
Best Film Actor, DramaDenzel Washington, "The Hurricane"    Best Film Actress, DramaHilary Swank, "Boys Don't Cry"    Best Film Actor, ComedyJim Carrey, "Man on the Moon"    Best Film Actress, ComedyJanet McTeer, "Tumbleweeds"    Best Supporting ActorTom Cruise, "Magnolia"    Best Supporting ActressAngelina Jolie, "Girl, Interrupted"    Best Picture, Musical or Comedy"Toy Story 2"    Best Director, FilmSam Mendes, "American Beauty"    Best Screenplay, FilmAlan Ball, "American Beauty"    Best Original Song, Film"You'll be in My Heart," Phil Collins    Best Non-English Language Film"All About My Mother," Spain    Best TV Series, Drama"The Sopranos"    Best TV Series, Comedy"Sex and the City"    Best TV Actress, Mini-series or TV MovieHalle Berry    Best TV Mini-series or TV Movie"RKO 281"    Best Actor, TV Mini-series or TV MovieJack Lemmon, "Inherit the Wind"    Best TV Actor, DramaJames Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"    Best TV Actress, DramaEdie Falco, "The Sopranos"    Best TV Actor, ComedyMichael J. Fox, "Spin City"    Best TV Actress, ComedySarah Jessica Parker, "Sex and the City"

Hilary Swank's gender-bending role in another movie based on a true story, "Boys Don't Cry," won the best film actress-drama category.

"If I can just keep searching for things that move my heart and soul as much as this story, you can't go wrong," Swank said.

Janet McTeer took the best film actress-comedy trophy for her performance as a Southern mom in "Tumbleweeds," while Jim Carrey won best film actor in a comedy for his portrayal of the late Andy Kaufman in "Man on the Moon." Carrey won last year in the drama category for his part in "The Truman Show."

"Second year in a row -- what's going on here, man?" Carrey joked. "I'm the establishment I once rejected. ... I'm the Tom Hanks of the Golden Globes."

Supporting actress and actor honors went to Angelina Jolie for "Girl, Interrupted" and past winner Tom Cruise for his work in "Magnolia."

"All About My Mother," Pedro Almodovar's latest film and one which has already been chosen as Spain's entry into the Academy Awards' Best Foreign Film category won the non-English language movie award.

On the TV side, cable ruled the awards, led by HBO. HBO's mobster series "The Sopranos" won best television drama, best actor for James Gandolfini, and best actress for Edie Falco. HBO's "Sex and the City" was named best comedy, and its star, Sarah Jessica Parker, best actress.

She was clearly taken aback by the award, telling the audience, "I've never won anything in my life ... I had money on all the nominees in my category because they're all so good and talented. I'm not a winner, I don't know what to do at these things."

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Multiple winner Michael J. Fox took best actor honors for "Spin City," just days after announcing plans to leave the show to battle Parkinson's disease, from which he suffers. Although he handled his win lightly -- "Actor out of work, news at 11," he said -- he also said that he'd encountered a ground swell of support.

"People have been amazing with mail and messages," he said. "I haven't met that many people who were not connected with this disease."

While the TelePrompTer malfunctioned on their presentation, getting MacLaine's speech off to a shaky start while she ad-libbed around the lack of a script, it reminded other honorees to get on with the show. At least three of the winners made fun of the warning on the TelePrompTer to "Please wrap up" when their acceptances got too windy.

Such cracks were as zany as the usually lively Golden Globes got, signifying to some that the awards have perhaps finally gained the dignity sought by their organizer, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, for most of the past 57 years.

At what some consider its lowest point, the group named Pia Zadora newcomer of the year in 1981 for her bomb, "Butterfly." It was revealed that association members had been entertained at the Las Vegas hotel-casino owned by Zadora's husband, Meshulam Riklis.

Since then, the group worked to clean up its act, hiring a top accounting firm to supervise the voting and banishing excessive favors from the studios.

In 1996 it began a multimillion-dollar contract with NBC, which broadcasted Sunday night's awards. The association now has a new headquarters in West Hollywood and can donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to industry charities.

Reuters and CNN Entertainment News Correspondent Sherri Sylvester contributed to this report.