SAG Honors Jamie Foxx, Hilary Swank
Jamie Foxx was named best lead male movie actor for his portrayal of the late R&B; legend Ray Charles in “Ray,” and Hilary Swank won best female lead actor for playing a scrappy boxer in “Million Dollar Baby” on Saturday night at the 11th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Foxx and Swank both won acting awards three weeks ago at the Golden Globes, and both are nominated for Oscars. It remains to be seen whether the SAG awards will live up to their reputation as a prognosticator of the Academy Awards.
Of the past 20 winners in the leading actor categories, 13 have gone on to win the Oscar. Last year, three SAG winners went on to receive the Academy Award: Charlize Theron, best actress for “Monster”; Tim Robbins, best supporting actor for “Mystic River”; and Renee Zellweger, best supporting actress for “Cold Mountain.”
Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett received the award for best female actor in a supporting role for her portrayal of a young Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator.” Morgan Freeman received best male actor in a supporting role as a grizzled boxing veteran in “Million Dollar Baby.”
In the television categories, the late Jerry Orbach, who died of prostate cancer in December, won best male actor in a drama series for NBC’s “Law & Order.” Jennifer Garner won in the female category as the sexy spy in ABC’s “Alias.” Glenn Close was named best female actor in a TV movie or miniseries for her performance as Eleanor of Aquitaine in Showtime’s “The Lion in Winter.”
Geoffrey Rush was named best male TV actor for his portrayal of the late comic legend Peter Sellers in HBO’s “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.” Close and Rush also won Golden Globes for their performances.
Teri Hatcher won best female actor in a comedy series for ABC’s hit “Desperate Housewives,” and Tony Shalhoub received his second SAG award in a row for USA’s “Monk.”
The two-hour ceremony was held at the Shrine Exposition Hall and telecast on cable’s TNT. Two randomly selected panels, totaling 4,200 SAG members, chose the nominees. SAG’s entire active membership of about 98,000 members then voted for the winners. A complete list of winners follows:
Theatrical Motion Picture
* Male actor in a leading role: Jamie Foxx, “Ray”
* Female actor in a leading role: Hilary Swank, “Million Dollar Baby”
* Male actor in a supporting role: Morgan Freeman, “Million Dollar Baby”
* Female actor in a supporting role: Cate Blanchett, “The Aviator”
* Ensemble of a theatrical motion picture: “Sideways”
* Lifetime achievement: James Garner
Television
* Male actor in a TV movie or miniseries: Geoffrey Rush, “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers”
* Female actor in a TV movie or miniseries: Glenn Close, “The Lion in Winter”
* Male actor in a drama series: Jerry Orbach, “Law & Order”
* Female actor in a drama series: Jennifer Garner, “Alias”
* Male actor in a comedy series: Tony Shalhoub, “Monk”
* Female actor in a comedy series: Teri Hatcher, “Desperate Housewives”
* Ensemble of a drama series: “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”
* Ensemble of a comedy series: “Desperate Housewives”
