Christopher Nolan pays heartfelt tribute to Heath Ledger at the Golden Globes

The director won for Oppenheimer at the Golden Globes

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Christopher Nolan picked up the award for Best Director at the Golden Globes – and he paid heartfelt tribute to the late Heath Ledger in his acceptance speech.

Nolan directedThe Dark Knight, which starred Ledger as the Joker. Ledger won a posthumous Golden Globe at the 2009 ceremony, and Nolan accepted on his behalf.

“The only time I’ve ever been on this stage before was accepting one of these on behalf of our dear friend Heath Ledger,” Nolan said in his acceptance speech. “And that was complicated and challenging for me, and in the middle of speaking I glanced up and Robert Downey Jr. caught my eye and gave me a look of love and support – the same look he’s giving me now, the same love and support he’s shown so many people in our community over so many years.”

Nolan went on to say that he feels that, as a director, he can only accept the award on behalf of others, then thanked members of theOppenheimercast and the crew. This marks the director’s first Golden Globe win (Oppenheimer also picked up Best Motion Picture – Drama).

Oppenheimer was nominated for eight awards and took home five: Best Director, Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Cillian Murphy), Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Robert Downey Jr.), and Best Original Score – Motion Picture (Ludwig Göransson).

Also among the winners of the night were Succession,Barbie, and The Bear, with actors taking home awards including Lily Gladstone, Kieran Culkin, and Emma Stone.

You can keep up to date with what 2024 has in store with our guide to all the upcoming majormovie release dates.

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I’m a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site’s Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

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