Denzel Washington won the Cecil B. DeMille Award at last night’s (10.01.16) Golden Globes.
The ‘Equalizer’ star succeeded George Clooney as the recipient of the gong – which celebrates an actor’s "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment" of the winner – but as his family joined him onstage, he admitted to the audience, which welcomed him with a standing ovation, that he had lost his speech.
He said: "You really do forget everything you’re supposed to do [up here]. I’m speechless. I just, thank you. I thank the Hollywood Foreign Press. Freddy Fields. Some of you may know Freddy Fields, he invited me to the first Hollywood Foreign Press luncheon.
"He said, ‘They’re gonna watch the movie, we’re gonna feed them, they’re gonna come over, you’re gonna take pictures with everybody, you’re gonna hold the magazines, take the pictures, and you’re gonna win the award.’ I won that year. I wanna thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for supporting me over the years. They’ve always made me feel like a friend – part of the party."
The 61-year-old actor was welcomed onstage by his ‘Philadelphia’ co-star Tom Hanks, who paid tribute to "the actor of our generation".
Tom said: "Great cinema lasts forever, and a great actor will forever astound us. Now, these clips will remind us that a single name can be a superlative synonymous with extraordinary.
"A single name can define an artist who is a peer and equal of all of the greatest legends of our craft. If Washington doesn’t ring out loud enough, then let the first name carry all the weight. And that name is Denzel."
Denzel Washington wins Golden Globe for ‘outstanding contribution’
