Golden Globes: Lots of Love for British Actors as Downton Abbey Scores Four Nods

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The Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning and they included many fabulous British actors in multiple categories, as well as several recent series you’ll recognize.

Masterpiece Classic’s Downton Abbey walked away with four nominations – for Best TV Movie or Miniseries, Best Actor in a TV Miniseries or Movie (Hugh Bonneville), Best Actress in a TV Miniseries or Movie (Elizabeth McGovern), and Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Miniseries or Movie (Dame Maggie Smith).

Downton will face off against a fellow British hit - 1950s period drama The Hour – in the Best TV Movie or Miniseries category. The Hour stars Dominic West and Romola Garai also both grabbed nods for Best Actor and Actress in a a TV Miniseries or Movie. (Though, if you ask me, it is a crime that Ben Whishaw’s work in that series went unrecognized.)

In fact, the two lead acting in a TV Movie or Miniseries categories are almost exclusively British, with only one Yank making the cut in each. Among the Brits recognized on the men’s side, Bonneville and West are joined by Luther’s Idris Elba and Bill Nighy, nominated for his role in Masterpiece’s Page Eight. For the ladies, Emily Watson and Kate Winslet are nominated alongside McGovern and Garai. 

Among the film nominations, former Hex star Michael Fassbender scored a Best Actor nod for his role in the somewhat controversial NC-17 sex addiction drama Shame. Tilda Swinton scored a Best Actresss nomination for her powerful performance in We Need to Talk About Kevin. And Kate Winslet is actually a double Golden Globe nominee, receiving a lead actress nod for her performance in the film Carnage, in addition to her nomination for Mildred Pierce.

Despite critical buzz for Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Hardy’s performances, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was completely shut out in the movie categories. Vanessa Redgrave’s much-lauded supporting performance in Coriolanus was ignored for the second time in two days (she didn't snag a Screen Actors Guild nomination either).  Steven Spielberg’s Brit-filled War Horse earned a Best Drama nomination, but the man himself did not receive a Best Director nod. And somehow, Madonna’s Wallace Simpson drama W.E. managed to pull off a Golden Globe nomination – for Best Score.

Full list of nominees after the jump, if you’ve not seen them. Do you think the Globes got more right than wrong this year? Was something or someone obvious left off the list? Tell us in the comments.

Best Drama
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Comedy/Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn

Best Actress in a Drama
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actor in a Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Director
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best TV Comedy or Musical
Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family
New Girl

Best Actor in a TV Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Best Actress in a TV Musical or Comedy
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best TV Drama
American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland

Best Actress in a TV Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

Best Actor in a TV Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Damian Lewis, Homeland
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Kelsey Grammer, Boss

TV Movie or Miniseries
The Hour
Downton Abbey
Cinema Verite
Mildred Pierce
Too Big to Fail

Best Actor – TV Movie or Miniseries
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Idris Elba, Luther
William Hurt, Too Big to Fail
Bill Nighy, Page Eight
Dominic West, The Hour

Best Actress – TV Movie or Miniseries
Romola Garai, The Hour
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Supporting Actor, TV Series, TV-Movie Or Miniseries
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big To Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

Best Supporting Actress, TV Series, TV-Movie Or Miniseries
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

Best Screenplay
Midnight in Paris
The Ides of March
The Artist
The Descendants
Moneyball

Best Animated Feature
Rango
The Adventures of Tintin
Puss in Boots
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2

Best Foreign Film
In the Land of Blood and Honey
Flowers of War
The Skin I Live In
The Kid With a Bike
A Separation

Best Original Song
W.E.
The Help
Albert Nobbs
Machine Gun Preacher
Gnomeo and Juliet

Best Score
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
War Horse
The Artist
W.E.

 


Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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