Hollywood heavyweights including Brad Pitt and George Clooney were left disappointed at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the latest step on the road to the Oscars next month.
Deep South drama The Help swept the board, winning three main prizes including best actress for Viola Davis and supporting actress for Octavia Spencer. It also took the ensemble award, which is the guild awards' equivalent of the best film prize.
Davis won in a category that included Tilda Swinton for We Need To Talk About Kevin, and Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn.
Pitt and Clooney were beaten to the lead actor prize by Jean Dujardin, who won for his role as a silent-film superstar whose career crumbles when the sound era arrives in The Artist. Christopher Plummer won for supporting actor as an elderly father who comes out as gay in Beginners.
He said: "Listen, we don't go into this business preoccupied by awards. If we did, we wouldn't last five minutes."
In the ceremony's television section, Kate Winslet won best actress for Mildred Pierce. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 won the award for best film stunt ensemble.
The ceremony, which was held in Los Angeles, is seen as a good indicator for the Oscars - its four main acting winners last year went on to claim Academy Awards.
