Alejandro González Iñárritu won the Golden Globe for best director for his frontier thriller "The Revenant," fresh off a $37 million debut that nearly toppled the box-office behemoth "Star Wars: The Force Awakens".
Referencing the production difficulties of the on-location shoot in the Canadian Rockies, González Iñáritu - an Oscar winner last year for "Birdman" - said: "Pain is temporary. A film is forever."
Though "Steve Jobs" failed to win over many critics or moviegoers, Danny Boyle's drama about the Apple co-founder earned best screenplay for Aaron Sorkin and best-supporting actress for Kate Winslet. Winning her fourth Globe in 11 nominations, Winslet triumphed over the lauded Alicia Vikander for "Ex Machina," though Vikander is also contending for best actress in "The Danish Girl."
USA's "Mr. Robot" won best TV drama for its first season, besting more established favorites like HBO's "Game of Thrones" and Fox's "Empire." Best comedy series was a similar upset, with Amazon's "Mozart in the Jungle," winning over the HBO heavyweight "Veep." Actors in both shows - Christian Slater for "Mr. Robot" and Gabriel García Bernal for "Mozart in the Jungle" - also won.
The Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement honoree, often an emotional high point in the awards, also lacked a memorable moment. Honoree Denzel Washington fumbled with his speech, while his wife, Pauletta, prodded him. As he wound down, Washington finally granted: "Yeah, I do need my glasses."
Best foreign language film went to Hungary's Laszlo Nemes' "Son of Saul," a harrowing view of life inside Auschwitz. Said Nemes: "The Holocaust over the years has become an abstraction. For me, it is more of a face. Let us not forget this face."
Best animated film went to Pixar's acclaimed "Inside Out." Lady Gaga, who has seven Grammys, won her first major acting honor for her performance on the anthology series "American Horror Story." Gaga compared the sensation to being like Cher in "Moonstruck."
Best actress in a TV drama went to Taraji P. Henson for "Empire." Jon Hamm won his second Globe for the final season of "Mad Men." He thanked the HFPA for the support to their long support of the show and his "horrible" character, Don Draper.
Oscar Isaac, a star of the box-office behemoth "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," won best actor in a miniseries for HBO's "Show Me a Hero." Best limited series went to "Wolf Hall."
After a 10-year ratings high three years ago, the Golden Globes' viewership has dipped slightly since, with an audience of 19.3 million tuning in last year.
That, though, is still very strong for the Golden Globes, which have worked to shed an image of eccentric selections made by a group of little-known international journalists. The Globes have instead grown into one of the most popular award show broadcasts of the year, thanks to increasingly credible nominees, its trademark relaxed atmosphere and its unique position as a major awards show that honors both film and television.