Aussie favourite Hugh Jackman has taken out the Golden Globe award for best actor in a comedy or musical for his gallant portrayal of leading man Jean Valjean in the epic Les Misérables.
Jackman beat out nominees Jack Black, Bradley Cooper, Ewan McGregor and Bill Murray to win the category in which he was the heavy favourite.
Hugh gave a gracious and heartfelt speech as he accepted the award.
“Wow — thank you,” a seemingly surprised Jackman said as he took the stage at the Beverly Hilton hotel.
In his speech, the actor revealed early struggles he had in the role, suggesting he considered pulling out of director Tom Hooper’s adaptation of the film after disastrous rehearsals, but his supportive wife Deborra-Lee Furness talked him out of it.
“Three weeks before we started filming, we had a terrible day of rehearsal, a humiliating day,” he said.
He recalled saying to his wife “I have to ring (director Tom Hooper), tell him someone else should play the role. I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.
“My wife talked me off the cliff like she talks me (down) most days.”
He thanked an impressive list of colleagues on the film, but the greatest praise went to Deborra-Lee who he introduced to the audience as the most wonderful woman in the world.
“Baby, I will say it in front of the entire world — thank you for always being right, baby. I love you.”
The achievement boosts Jackman’s Oscar hopes, confirming him as the second favourite for the best actor award, behind Daniel Day-Lewis for his role in Lincoln.
Day-Lewis won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama.
The Golden Globe Awards split the best actor category in two, but the Oscars will see the two winners go head-to-head.
The Golden Globe win follows a week in which Jackman was nominated for both an Oscar and a BAFTA award.
He was also the only Australian nominee to win his category, with fellow Aussies Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Naomi Watts all missing out.
The film that earned Jackman his golden moment, Les Miserables, took out the title for best musical or comedy film, and co-star Anne Hathaway was recognised for her role as Fantine, earning her the statue for best supporting actress.
The complete list of 2013 Golden Globe award winners:
MOTION PICTURES:
Best drama film:
Argo (winner)
Django Unchained,
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Best comedy or musical film:
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Miserables (winner)
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook.
Best director:
Ben Affleck, Argo (winner)
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Li, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained.
Best actor, drama:
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln (winner)
Richard Gere, Arbitrage
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight.
Best actress, drama:
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty (winner)
Marion Cotillard, Rust & Bone
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Richard Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea.
Best actor, musical or comedy:
Jack Black, Bernie;
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook;
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables (winner)
Ewan McGregor, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Bill Murray, Hyde Park On Hudson.
Best actress, musical or comedy:
Emily Blunt, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen
Judi Dench, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook (winner)
Maggie Smith, Quartet
Meryl Streep, Hope Springs.
Best supporting actor:
Alan Arkin, Argo
Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained (winner).
Best supporting actress:
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables (winner)
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy.
Best foreign language film:
Amour (French)(winner)
A Royal Affair (Danish)
The Intouchables (French)
Kon-Tiki (Norwegian)
Rust and Bone (Franco-Belgian).
Best screenplay:
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Django Unchained (winner)
Argo
Silver Linings Playbook.
Best original score:
Anna Karenina
Argo
Cloud Atlas
Life of Pi (winner)
Lincoln.
Best animated feature:
Brave (winner)
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It-Ralph.
TELEVISION:
Best series, drama:
Boardwalk Empire,
Breaking Bad,
Downton Abbey,
Homeland (winner)
The Newsroom.
Best actor, drama:
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Damian Lewis, Homeland (winner).
Best actress, drama:
Connie Britton, Nashville
Glenn Close, Damages
Claire Danes, Homeland (winner)
Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife.
Best series, musical or comedy:
The Big Bang Theory
Episodes
Girls (winner)
Modern Family
Smash.
Best actress, musical or comedy:
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Lena Dunham, Girls (winner)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation.
Best actor, musical or comedy:
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (winner)
Louis C.K. Louie
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory.
Best miniseries or movie:
Game Change (winner)
The Girl,
Hatfields & McCoys,
The Hour,
Political Animals.
Best actress, miniseries or movie:
Nicole Kidman, Hemingway & Gellhorn
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Asylum
Sienna Miller, The Girl
Julianne Moore, Game Change (winner)
Sigourney Weaver, Political Animals.
Best actor, miniseries or movie:
Kevin Costner, Hatfields & McCoys (winner)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock (Masterpiece)
Woody Harrelson, Game Change
Toby Jones, The Girl
Clive Owen, Hemingway & Gellhorn.
Best supporting actress, series, miniseries or movie:
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife
Sarah Paulson, Game Change
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (winner)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family.
Best supporting actor, series, miniseries or movie:
Max Greenfield, New Girl
Ed Harris, Game Change (winner)
Danny Huston, Magic City
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family.
Cecil B. DeMille Award:
Jodie Foster (winner)
