Britons dominate the category - there are also nominations for Dame Judi Dench as an embittered schoolmistress in Notes On A Scandal and Kate Winslet as a frustrated mother in Little Children.

Peter O’Toole picked up his eighth Oscar nomination - and his first in 24 years - at the age of 74 for his performance as an ageing actor who falls for a young woman in Venus.

The Queen is a contender for best film alongside Babel, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima and Little Miss Sunshine.

And there are two British nominees for best director - Stephen Frears for The Queen and Paul Greengrass for United 93, his harrowing depiction of the last hours aboard a doomed 9/11 flight.

Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen is nominated for best adapted screenplay.

The musical Dreamgirls led US Academy Awards contenders with eight nominations, but surprisingly was shut out in the best picture category for which it had been considered a potential front-runner.

The sweeping ensemble drama Babel was close behind with seven, including acting honours for two newcomers to US audiences, Mexico’s Adriana Barraza and Japan’s Rinko Kikuchi.

Forest Whitaker has been nominated for best actor as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland

The Oscars will be held on February 25. read more about the Oscars 2007

Helen bags another award - Jan 18 2007
It looks like Dame Helen Mirren just can’t stop winning - tonight she scooped another prize at an awards ceremony.

The star of the hit film The Queen and Prime Suspect won the arts category at the Morgan Stanley Great Britons Awards in London.

Among others, the actress has been nominated for a Bafta for her role in The Queen, and has already picked up a Golden Globe and British Independent Film Award for the same role, as well as a recent Emmy for her role as Elizabeth I. She is also tipped for Oscar glory.

Celebrities including model Jerry Hall, her daughter Lizzie Jagger, director Terry Gilliam, Formula One driver Damon Hill and actress Jane Seymour were among the audience at the Guildhall.

The awards are designed to recognise achievement by Britons in the past year.

Zara Phillips, daughter of Princess Anne, claimed the sports category award for winning individual gold and team silver at the World Equestrian Games.

Sir David Attenborough claimed the creative industries award.

Former winners Jamie Oliver and double-gold Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes.

Helen leads Brits to Golden Globes success - Jan 16 2007
Dame Helen Mirren’s regal roles earned her two Golden Globes today as she led an impressive British assault on the Hollywood awards. See photos of The Golden Globe Awards

The 61-year-old won best dramatic film actress for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in The Queen and another honour for playing the monarch’s 16th century predecessor in TV mini-series Elizabeth I.

Scriptwriter Peter Morgan got the screenplay prize for The Queen, which tells the story of the royal family’s reaction to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

But the movie missed out in the best picture category, which was won by Babel, and its director Stephen Frears was beaten by Martin Scorsese, who took the honour for The Departed.