Leonardo DiCaprio won the Golden Globe for lead actor in a drama for his performance as 19th century outdoorsman Hugh Glass in “The Revenant,” a film made in the most arduous conditions that had the actor enduring intense cold -- and eating raw animal entrails.
“This film was about survival,” DiCaprio said after a long ovation as he took the Beverly Hilton stage Sunday night. “It was about adaptation, it was about the triumph of the human spirit but more than anything it was about trust. And there’s no one more deserving of that trust than our director Alejandro Inarritu.”
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DiCaprio wrapped up his speech by speaking powerfully to themes in the movie that intersect with his off-screen charitable and environmental work.
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Golden Globe winners, including Rachel Bloom with her Golden Globe for Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical, stop by the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards press room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Actor Sylvester Stallone, winner of Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture for “Creed,” poses in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Kate Winslet accepts her Golden Globe for Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, left, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio pose with awards for Best Motion Picture, Drama; Best Director, Motion Picture; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, for “The Revenant” in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Winner Oscar Isaac for Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Taraji P. Henson in the press room with her Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Matt Damon, winner for Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Producers Mark Pybus, left, Colin Callender and Rebecca Eaton, winners of Miniseries or Television Film for “Wolf Hall,” pose in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Jimmy Naples, left, and Sam Smith, winners of the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for “Writing’s On The Wall” from the movie “Spectre”, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Aaron Sorkin, winner of Screenplay - Motion Picture for “Steve Jobs” at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Director Laszlo Nemes, center, actor Geza Rohrig, second from left, and other members of the “Son of Saul” team pose with the award for best foreign-language film for “Son of Saul,” in the press room at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday.
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Jennifer Lawrence won the award for lead actress in a motion picture comedy for “Joy.”
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Christian Slater took home the prize for actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television, for “Mr. Robot.”
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Gael Garcia Bernal of “Mozart in the Jungle” wins for actor in a TV series, musical or comedy.
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“Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, center, and the cast pose together after winning the Golden Globe award for best TV series drama.
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Maura Tierney holds her Golden Globe for supporting actress in a limited series/TV Movie for “The Affair.”
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Jon Hamm holds his Golden Globe for “Mad Men.”
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Winners of the best motion picture musical or comedy for “The Martian”: Simon Kinberg, left, Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer.
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Pete Docter, left, and Jonas Rivera, winners of the best animated feature film for “Inside Out.”
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Lady Gaga with her Golden Globe for actress in a miniseries or a motion picture. She will perform the national anthem at Super Bowl 50.
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Gael Garcia Bernal, Bernadette Peters and Lola Kirke share the Golden Globe for TV series comedy for “Mozart in the Jungle.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) “I want to share this award with all the First Nations people represented in the film,” DiCaprio said, “and all the indigenous communities around the world. It is time that we recognize your history and that we protect your indigenous lands from corporate interests and people that are out there to exploit them. It is time that we heard your voice and protect the planet for future generations.”
This was DiCaprios’s 11th Globes nomination. (One year he had two nominations in the same category.) He previously won in the drama category for “The Aviator” and more recently in the comedy category for “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
The rest of the field was made up of recent Globes favorites, all of whom also played characters based on real people.
Bryan Cranston was nominated for his role as blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo in “Trumbo.” While this was Cranston’s sixth Globe nomination, it was his first in a film category, as he had previously been recognized for his work on TV’s “Malcolm in the Middle” and “Breaking Bad.” He won for “Breaking Bad” in 2014.
Michael Fassbender was nominated for playing the tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs in the unconventional bio-pic “Steve Jobs.” This was Fassbender’s third globe nomination, having previously been recognized for “Shame” and “12 Years a Slave.”
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Eddie Redmayne was nominated for his portrayal of Lili Elbe, one of the earliest known recipients of sex reassignment surgery. This was Redmayne’s second Globe nomination. He won the category last year for his performance as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.”
Will Smith was nominated for playing Dr. Bennet Omalu in a story that addressed the issue of brain damage on NFL players. This was Smith’s fifth globe nomination overall and third in the film acting categories. He was twice nominated for TV’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and also recognized for his film work in “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
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MORE GOLDEN GLOBES:
‘The Revenant’ wins best motion picture drama
‘The Martian’ gets a ‘grateful’ win for best picture comedy
Alejandro G. Inarritu wins best director for ‘The Revenant’
Matt Damon wins lead actor in a musical or comedy motion picture