Lewis was lauded for his role as the 16th US president Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War set drama while Chastain won for the Katheryn Bigelow-directed film on the US manhunt of Osama bin Laden.
Ben Affleck-directed hostage-drama Argo won the best motion picture drama award at the Golden Globes today, as Daniel Day Lewis was declared best actor in the drama category for Steven Spielberg's Lincoln.
Argo, the story based in the 1979 Iran hostage crisis, was nominated alongside Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty.
Lewis was lauded for his turn as the 16th US president Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War set drama.
The highlight of the evening was a surprise appearance by former president Bill Clinton, who came to introduce the biopic.
"Are you sure there's room for another ex-president on the stage," Lewis asked while accepting his award.
The film, which is leading at the Oscars with 12 nominations, was a favourite among critics at the Golden Globes as well, but had a surprisingly disappointing run by winning just one trophy out of seven nominations.
The best actress in a motion picture drama gong was handed to Jessica Chastain for the Katheryn Bigelow-directed Zero Dark Thirty, a film on the US manhunt of Osama bin Laden.
Chastain was up against Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Helen Mirren (Hitchcock), Naomi Watts (The Impossible) and Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea) in the category.
"I've auditioned and fought and been on the sidelines for years. To be here now, it's a beautiful moment," said Chastain after accepting her award.
Les Miserables won the Best musical or comedy award, taking their score up to three wins. The film was nominated alongside Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and Silver Linings Playbook.
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