2021 Golden Globe Awards (Winners List): ‘Nomadland,’ ‘The Crown’ rule, surprise wins for Andra Day, Rosamund Pike, Jodie Foster

Nomadland has won the Golden Globe for Motion Picture – Drama and its director Chloé Zhao was named Best Director, only the second woman in 78 years of the Globes to win the award and the first woman of color. The first was Barbra Streisand for 1983’s Yentl, who was later snubbed at the Oscars. That doesn’t seem likely for Zhao, who comes in with more critics’ wins for directing than any person in history. Zhao was joined by Regina King (One Night in Miami) and Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) as the first time in Golden Globes history that three women were nominated for Best Director in the same year.

Hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, live from New York City and Los Angeles, respectively, opened their monologue and took little time getting to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s newest scandal, the revelation that the group hasn’t had a Black member in over 20 years. While it began jokingly, “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of 90 international no-Black journalists,” quipped Fey, it quickly turned serious. “A number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked,” Poehler said. But in the spirit of keeping things buoyant, Fey shot back “Inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press. I realize, HFPA, maybe you guys didn’t get the memo because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonalds, but you gotta change that.”

In one great moment, Poehler joked about what qualifies as a movie or a show this year, since movie theaters were largely closed and eligibility at everything from the Oscars to SAG and the Globes themselves became rather malleable. “TV is the one that I watch five hours straight, but a movie is the one that I don’t turn on because its two hours. I don’t want to be in front of the TV for two hours, I want to be in front of the TV for one hour five times.”

HFPA President Ali Sar, Vice President Helen Hoehne and former President Meher Tatna  addressed the audience later in the show on the issue of inclusivity with a 30-second commentary.

“On behalf of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate the work of artists from around the globe, we recognize we have our own work to do,” Hoehne began. “Just like in film and television, Black representation is vital. We must have Black journalists in our organization.

“We must also ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities gets a seat at our table, and we are going to make that happen,” continued Tatna.

“That means creating an environment where a diverse membership is the norm, not the exception,” Sar concluded. “Thank you and we look forward to a more inclusive future.”

As the awards got underway, Daniel Kaluuya took home the first, Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role as Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah. At first his audio was muted and presenter Laura Dern tried to thank the HFPA on his behalf but then his audio came back and all was well. It ended up being the only major technical gaffe of the night, impressive all things considered.

Upon receiving her Cecil B. DeMille Awards, two-time Oscar and 7-time Golden Globe winner Jane Fonda presided over the audience with courage, conviction and the passion she’s known for.

“Stories, they really can change people. But there’s a story we’ve been afraid to see and hear about ourselves in this industry, a story about which voices we respect and elevate and which we tune out, a story about who is offered a seat at the table and who is kept out of the rooms where decisions are made,” she said.

“So let’s all of us, including all the groups that decide who gets hired and what gets made and who wins awards, let’s all of us make an effort to expand that tent so that everyone rises and everyone’s story has a chance to be seen and heard,” she continued.

Fonda concluded, “I mean, doing this simply means acknowledging what’s true, being in step with the emerging diversity that’s happening because of all those who marched and fought in the past and those who have picked up the baton today. After all, art has always been not just in step with history, but has led the way. So let’s be leaders; okay?”

The Golden Globe Awards wouldn’t be much without its shocking wins and this year was not different. First came with Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian) in Supporting Actress, besting Glenn Close in Hillbilly Elegy, Olivia Colman in The Father, Amanda Seyfried in Mank and Helena Zengel in News of the World. “I never thought I’d be here again,” she said, cloaked in pajamas with her wife and their dog. The last time the Golden Globe winner here wasn’t Oscar-nominated was 1976, Katharine Ross in Voyage of the Damned.

Then in Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Rosamund Pike (I Care A Lot) shocked, winning over heavy favorite Maria Bakalova in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Pike used her speech to salute Bakalova’s performance and bravery for having to act with Rudy Giuliani.

But possibly the biggest surprise came near the evening’s end when newcomer Andra Day (The United States vs Billie Holiday) overcame performances from Best Picture nominees to win Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama for her performance as Billie Holiday.

Chadwick Boseman won a posthumous Globe in Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and his wife Taylor Simone Ledward accepted on his behalf in a tearful speech.

“He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors,” Ledward said through tears. “He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that amplifies that little voice inside of all of us.”

Boseman’s widow added, “I don’t have his words, but we have to take all the moments to celebrate those we love.” She thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press for allowing her and those close to the late actor to “do just that.”

In television, The Crown utterly dominated, sweeping all categories it had nominations in. It won Drama Series, lead actress for Emma Corrin, lead actor for Josh O’Connor and supporting actress for Gillian Anderson. It became the first show to non-consecutively repeat a Drama Series win since The X-Files in the 1990s, which also starred Anderson.

Jason Sudeikis won actor in a comedy for Ted Lasso while Schitt’s Creek took home two of its five nominations: for Comedy Series and Comedy Actress, Catherine O’Hara. The Queen’s Gambit picked up two wins, for Limited Series and Limited Series Actress, Anya Taylor-Joy.

Netflix was the overall winner with 10 wins from its 42 nominations across film and television.

The Golden Globe Awards have always set the pace for the season of televised awards and as the first major awards show of 2021 to produce and air while we’re still in a pandemic will be the bar set for the Critics Choice in March, and Screen Actors Guild and the Oscars in April.

Here is the full list of motion picture and television nominees below with the winners in bold.

MOTION PICTURE

Motion Picture – Drama 

• The Father (Sony Pictures Classics) 
• Mank (Netflix) 
• Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)  – WINNER
• Promising Young Woman (Focus Features) 
• The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix) 

Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios) – WINNER
• Hamilton (Walt Disney Pictures) 
• Palm Springs (Neon) 
• Music (Vertical Entertainment)
• The Prom (Netflix) 

Director – Motion Picture

• Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
• David Fincher, Mank (Netflix)
• Regina King, One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)
• Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
• Chloé Zhao, Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures) – WINNER

Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
• Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix) – WINNER
• Anthony Hopkins, The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Gary Oldman, Mank (Netflix)
• Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian (STX Films)

Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
• Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Hulu) – WINNER
• Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman (Netflix)
• Frances McDormand, Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
• Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)

Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

• Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)
• Kate Hudson, Music (Vertical Entertainment)
• Michelle Pfeiffer, French Exit (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Rosamund Pike, I Care a Lot (Netflix) – WINNER
• Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma. (Focus Features)

Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 

• Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)
• James Corden, The Prom (Netflix)
• Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton (Disney+)
• Dev Patel, The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight Pictures)
• Andy Samberg, Palm Springs (Hulu)

Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture

• Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
• Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros) – WINNER
• Jared Leto, The Little Things (Warner Bros)
• Bill Murray, On the Rocks (Apple TV+)
• Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)

Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture 

• Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy (Netflix)
• Olivia Colman, The Father (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Jodie Foster, The Mauritanian (STX Films) – WINNER
• Amanda Seyfried, Mank (Netflix)
• Helena Zengel, News of the World (Universal Pictures)

Screenplay – Motion Picture 

• Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell (Focus Features)
• Mank, Jack Fincher (Netflix)
• The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin (Netflix) – WINNER
• The Father, Florian Zeller (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Nomadland, Chloé Zhao (Searchlight Pictures)

Original Score – Motion Picture 

• The Midnight Sky, Alexandre Desplat (Netflix)
• Tenet, Ludwig Göransson (Warner Bros)
• News of the World, James Newton Howard ”(Universal Pictures)
• Mank, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Netflix)
• Soul, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross & Jon Batiste (Pixar) – WINNER

Motion Picture – Animated 

• The Croods: A New Age (Universal Pictures) 
• Onward (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar) 
• Over the Moon (Netflix) 
• Soul (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar)  – WINNER
• Wolfwalkers (Cartoon Saloon) 

Original Song – Motion Picture

• “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros)
• “Hear My Voice” from The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
• “Io Si (Seen)” from The Life Ahead (Netflix) – WINNER
• “Speak Now” from One Night in Miami… (Amazon Studios)
• “Tigress & Tweed” from The United States vs. Billie Holliday (Hulu)

Motion Picture – Foreign Language 

• Another Round, Denmark (Samuel Goldwyn Films) 
• La Llorona, Guatemala (Shudder) 
• The Life Ahead, Italy (Netflix) 
• Minari, USA (A24) – WINNER
• Two of Us, France (Magnolia Pictues)

TELEVISION

Television Series – Drama 

• The Crown (Netflix) – WINNER
• Lovecraft Country (HBO Max) 
• The Mandalorian (Disney Plus) 
• Ozark (Netflix)
• Ratched (Netflix)

Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Emily in Paris (Netflix)
• The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
• The Great (Hulu) 
• Schitt’s Creek (Pop/CBC) – WINNER
• Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) 

Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• Normal People (Hulu/BBC) 
• The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) – WINNER
• Small Axe (Amazon Studios/BBC) 
• The Undoing (HBO) 
• Unorthodox”(Netflix)

Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Jason Bateman, Ozark (Netflix)
• Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix) – WINNER
• Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)
• Al Pacino, Hunters (Amazon Studios)
• Matthew Rhys, Perry Mason (HBO)

Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama 

• Olivia Colman, The Crown (Netflix)
• Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (AMC/BBC America)
• Emma Corrin, The Crown (Netflix) – WINNER
• Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)
• Sarah Paulson, Ratched (Netflix)

Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• Bryan Cranston, Your Honor (Showtime)
• Jeff Daniels, The Comey Rule (Showtime)
• Hugh Grant, The Undoing (HBO Max)
• Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird (Showtime)
• Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True (HBO) – WINNER

Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

• Don Cheadle, Black Monday (TBS)
• Nicholas Hoult, The Great (Hulu)
• Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop/CBC)
• Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) – WINNER
• Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Hulu)

Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy 

• Lily Collins, Emily in Paris (Netflix)
• Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)
• Elle Fanning, The Great (Hulu)
• Jane Levy, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)
• Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop/CBC) – WINNER

Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)
• Daisy Edgar-Jones, Normal People (Hulu)
• Shira Haas, Unorthodox (Netflix)
• Nicole Kidman, The Undoing (HBO Max)
• Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix) – WINNER

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• John Boyega, Small Axe (Amazon Studios) – WINNER
• Brendan Gleeson, The Comey Rule (Showtime) 
• Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop/CBC)
• Jim Parsons, Hollywood (Netflix)
• Donald Sutherland, The Undoing (HBO Max)

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television 

• Gillian Anderson, The Crown (Netflix) – WINNER
• Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown (Netflix)
• Julia Garner, Ozark (Netflix)
• Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop/CBC)
• Cynthia Nixon, Ratched (Netflix)

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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