Cillian Murphy picked up the Leading Actor award at Sunday's (18.02.24) BAFTAs.

The 47-year-old actor - who plays the titular role in Christopher Nolan's atomic bomb saga - picked up the prize at the ceremony at London's Royal Festival Hall.

He triumphed in a category which included Bradley Cooper for 'Maestro', Colman Domingo for 'Rustin', Paul Giamatti for 'The Holdovers', Barry Keoghan for 'Saltburn' and Teo Yoo for 'Past Lives'.

Cillian won his award after Nolan paid tribute to his leading man when he collected his Best Director award for 'Oppenheimer'.

Robert Downey Jr won the Supporting Actor gong for the film, which was also victorious in the Cinematography and Editing categories.

'Oppenheimer' has been nominated for a total of 13 awards.

Earlier, French legal drama 'Anatomy Of A Fall' won the Original Screenplay gong and co-writer and director Justine Triet, collected the award.

She said: "The last time I was in London, a woman said to me: 'After I saw your movie I called my ex and told him to see it to understand why I dumped him'. Someone else said 'Did you put a mic in my kitchen?'"

Pointing to her co-writer and partner Arthur Harari, she added: "I would like to make a statement tonight: it's a fiction and we are reasonably fine."

Da’Vine Joy Randolph won the Supporting Actress award for 'The Holdovers' and said: "'Thank you for trusting me with this beautiful character.

"Being able to wear this beautiful gown, standing on the stage in London, is not a responsibility I take lightly."

She also thanked her co-star Giamatti and said she “cries every time” she says his name.

She went on: "I'm proud to call you a friend and thank you for never wavering."

Comedy drama 'American Fiction' won Adapted Screenplay over 'All of Us Strangers', 'Oppenheimer', 'Poor Things' and 'The Zone of Interest'.

Meanwhile, David Tennant hosted the awards for the first time, taking over from last year's duo of Alison Hammond and Richard E. Grant.

He opened the 77th British academy film awards with a 'Barbie' reference, joking that the ceremony would "go smoother than Ken's chest".

Addressing the star-studded audience, he added: "Look at you in your tuxedos and fancy dresses, like the opening scenes of 'Saltburn'. Let's hope it doesn't end up like the closing scenes of 'Saltburn'."

He went on: "Judging these awards is like picking a favourite child - difficult, not impossible, but difficult."

And, David even managed to poke fun at the upcoming US presidential election, where current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are expected to go head-to-head.

Referring to Emma Stone's surreal comedy 'Poor Things', he said that the film is about a reanimated woman with a child’s brain and joked: "one of them may even be elected president".