BEVERLY HILLS, California, Jan 13, 2008 (AFP) - British romantic epic "Atonement" scooped the top prize at the Golden Globes here Sunday with victory in the coveted best drama picture category.

The film beat competition from "American Gangster", "No Country For Old Men", "Eastern Promises", "The Great Debaters", Michael Clayton" and "There Will Be Blood".

Daniel Day-Lewis wins Best Actor

Day-Lewis, 50, who had been nominated for a Golden Globe on four previous occasions, beat competition from George Clooney, James McAvoy, Viggo Mortensen and Denzel Washington. The classically trained British actor, who won an Oscar in 1989 for "My Left Foot", is widely expected to earn his third Academy Award nomination for "There Will Be Blood".

British Legend wins Best Actress

British legend Julie Christie won the Golden Globe for best drama actress here Sunday, 42 years after her first nomination at the Hollywood awards show. Christie, 66, scooped the first Golden Globe of her career for her portrayal of a woman suffering from Alzheimer's in "Away from Her", her first major role for more than a decade.

Christie, who won an Oscar in 1966 for "Darling" and whose films include classics such as "Doctor Zhivago" and "McCabe and Mrs Miller" is viewed as a front-runner for best actress honors at this year's Academy Awards.

She beat out competition from Cate Blanchett, Jodie Foster, Angelina Jolie, and Keira Knightley.

Cate Blanchett wins second award

Australian screen icon Cate Blanchett won the best supporting actress award at the Golden Globes here Sunday for her portrayal of music legend Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There". It was the second Golden Globe award of the the 38-year-old star's career, following her victory in the best actress category in 1999 for "Elizabeth".

"Sweeny Todd" bags two major awards

Tim Burton's gruesome big-screen version of "Sweeney Todd" about the demon barber of Fleet Street won the Golden Globe for best musical or comedy. The blood-soaked film, an adaptation of the successful Stephen Sondheim musical, beat out competition from "Across the Universe", "Charlie Wilson's War", "Hairspray" and "Juno".

Johnny Depp earned the first Golden Globes award of his career Sunday, winning best actor in a musical or comedy prize for his portrayal of a cut-throat barber in "Sweeney Todd".

It was a case of eighth time lucky for "Pirates of the Caribbean" star Depp, who had been nominated at the Globes on seven previous occasions only to come away empty-handed. Other nominees included Ryan Gosling for "Lars and the Real Girl", Tom Hanks in "Charlie Wilson's War", Philip Seymour Hoffman in "The Savages" and John C. Reilly in "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story".

Surprise Win

Julian Schnabel was a surprise winner of the best director prize at the Golden Globes here Sunday, picking up the prize for the "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly". The New York-based film-maker pipped favorites Joel and Ethan Coen to the honor for his big-screen adaptation of French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby's moving 1997 book.

The film, about a stroke victim who dictates his memoir via blinks of an eyelid, also won best foreign language film at the Globes on Sunday.

Best Supporting Actor

Javier Bardem won the best supporting actor award at the Golden Globes here Sunday for his role as a psychopathic hit-man in gritty crime thriller "No Country for Old Men".

It was the first Golden Globe award of the 38-year-old Spanish star's career, which has included starring roles in films such as "Before Night Falls" and the Academy-Award winning "The Sea Inside"

"Edith Piaf" receives nod

French star Marion Cotillard scooped the Golden Globe award for best actress in a musical or comedy here Sunday for her portrayal of tragic chanteuse Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose". The 32-year-old's performance in the film has already earned several critical garlands in the United States where she has emerged as a contender for honors at next month's Academy Awards.