Ben Affleck has won best director for his film Argo at the Golden Globe awards.
Argo, set amidst the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, also won best drama.
Best actor in a drama went to Daniel Day-Lewis for his role in the biopic Lincoln, while Jessica Chastain won best actress in a drama for Zero Dark Thirty.
Earlier, British singer Adele won best song for the theme to the James Bond film Skyfall.
Collecting her trophy, she said: "Honestly, I've come out for a night out with my friend Ida - we're new mums - I have literally come for a night out. I was not expecting this."
The Golden Globes gives a separate accolade for best film musical or comedy, which was won by Tom Hooper's film of stage hit Les Miserables - the only British film to win an award.
It won three in total, with actress Anne Hathaway winning best supporting actress for her portrayal of Fantine in the film.
"Thank you for this lovely blunt object that I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt," she said as she collected her trophy.
The film's lead Hugh Jackman won best actor in a musical or comedy.
Eric Fellner, producer of Les Miserables and co-chairman of Working Title Film, said: "Making this film was an incredibly risky proposition.
"But so much passion and love was put into the making of it and that's what seems to have won out."
Dame Maggie Smith won best supporting actress in a series for her role in Downton Abbey.
Homeland took best TV drama, with Damian Lewis winning best TV actor for his role in the series.
Quentin Tarantino, accepting the best screenplay award for his film Django Unchained, said: "This is a damn surprise, and I'm happy to be surprised."
Christoph Waltz took best supporting actor for his role in the film.
But the western lost out to Argo in the best drama category along with Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, Life of Pi, Ang Lee's adaption of the Yann Martel novel, and Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow's film about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Amour, directed by Austria's Michael Haneke, won best foreign film.
In the drama actor category, Day-Lewis was shortlisted alongside fellow Oscar candidates Denzel Washington and Joaquin Phoenix.
Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper was also nominated for the award, with both men also nominated in the best actor category at the Oscars.
The best actress in a musical or comedy category was won by Cooper's co-star in Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence.
Accepting her award, Lawrence thanked producer Harvey Weinstein for "killing whoever you had to kill to get me up here".
