California: Meryl Streep has shined some Hollywood glory on Margaret Thatcher with a Golden Globe win for her role as the former British prime minister in The Iron Lady.
Streep won as best actress in a drama Sunday, boosting her chances for the lead-actress prize at next month's Academy Awards, where she holds the record with 16 nominations but has not won in nearly 30 years, since 1982's Sophie's Choice. It was Streep's eighth win at the Globes.
'The Artist' makes a loud noise
The black-and-white silent film The Artist came away with the most prizes with three wins at the Golden Globes, but the show spread the love around among a broad range of films and TV shows.
Ricky Gervais, who has ruffled feathers at past shows with sharp wisecracks aimed at Hollywood's elite and the Globes show itself, returned as host for the third-straight year.
Wins for The Artist included best musical or comedy and best actor in a musical or comedy for Jean Dujardin, while the family drama The Descendants claimed two awards, as best drama and dramatic actor for George Clooney.
More winners
Other acting winners included Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn, Octavia Spencer for The Help and Christopher Plummer for Beginners.
Martin Scorsese has been named best director at the Golden Globes for his Paris adventure Hugo.
The award on Sunday was the third directing Globe in the last 10 years for Scorsese, who previously won for Gangs of New York and The Departed and received the show's Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement two years ago.
Scorsese won over a field of contenders that included Michel Hazanavicius, who had been considered by many in Hollywood as a favorite for his silent film The Artist.
Williams offers thanks
Meanwhile, Williams earned the Golden Globe for actress in a musical or comedy as Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn, 52 years after Monroe's win for the same prize at the Globes.
Williams offered thanks for giving her the same award Monroe once won and joked that her young daughter put up with bedtime stories for six months spoken in Monroe's voice.
"I consider myself a mother first and an actress second, so the person I most want to thank is my daughter, my little girl, whose bravery and exuberance is the example I take with me in my work and my life," Williams said.
