Robert Downey Jr made history as he scooped the Best Supporting Actor prize at the 2024 British Academy Film Awards on Sunday.
The Marvel legend set a new record for the longest gap between wins by any performer as he accepted the award for his performance as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, his first in 31 years.
Robert’s last BAFTA win came for his role as the silent movie icon Charlie Chaplin in the biopic of the same name in 1993, though he was nominated in 2009 for his performance in Tropic Thunder.
The previous record was 27 years, set by Sir Anthony Hopkins in 2021 when he won the award for best actor for The Father, nearly three decades after his 1994 win for Shadowlands.
Collecting the gong, Robert joked he was going to tell the story of ‘the entirety of my life in 20 seconds’.
Robert Downey Jr made history as he scooped the Best Supporting Actor prize at the 2024 British Academy Film Awards on Sunday
The Marvel legend set a new record for the longest gap between wins by any performer as he accepted the award for his performance as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer , his first in 31 years
Collecting the gong, Robert joked he was going to tell the story of ‘the entirety of my life in 20 seconds’
Gesturing to director Christopher Nolan, he said: ‘Recently that dude suggested I attempt an understated approach as a last ditch effort to resurrect my dwindling credibility.’
He said he owed the award to Christopher Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and star Cillian Murphy, as well as ‘British influence’.
The biggest night in British film returned with actor David Tennant as host, with an array of guest presenters on hand to deliver awards throughout the night.
Nolan won the Best Director BAFTA for Oppenheimer, his epic tale of how the nuclear bomb was created.
Before accepting the award from actor Hugh Grant, Nolan hugged his Irish star Cillian Murphy who played physicist J Robert Oppenheimer.
Nolan joked that his brother ‘beat him up here’ by being in a chorus of a production 40 years ago.
Nolan has previously lost out despite numerous commercial successes such as Inception and The Dark Knight, the UK-born filmmaker won out against Jonathan Glazer [The Zone of Interest], Justine Triet [Anatomy of a Fall], Alexander Payne [The Holdovers], Bradley Cooper [Maestro] and Andrew Haigh [All of Us Strangers].
He paid tribute to Murphy and added to those who backed the film: ‘Thank you for taking on something dark’.
The director also acknowledged the efforts of nuclear disarmament organisations to bring peace.
He said he owed the award to Christopher Nolan, producer Emma Thomas and star Cillian Murphy, as well as ‘British influence’
Robert’s last BAFTA win came for his role as the silent movie icon Charlie Chaplin in the biopic of the same name in 1993
Robert was previously awarded a BAFTA for his role as Charlie Chaplin (pictured)
Meanwhile, Da’Vine was crowned victorious in the Best Supporting Actress category for her part in The Holdovers as she continues her march to Oscars glory.
She took to the stage and told the presenter ‘you are so handsome’ – prompting laughter from the audience.
‘Thank you for trusting me with this beautiful character,’ she says.
Becoming emotional, she says that being able to ‘wear this beautiful gown, standing on the stage in London, is not a responsibility I take lightly’.
Randolph plays school cook Mary in the film set at a boarding school in the early 1970s.
Director Jonathan Glazer and producer James Wilson’s The Zone Of Interest has won the Bafta for outstanding British film.
Wilson told the audience they were ‘stunned’ the film had won three awards during the ceremony, and while it was shot in Poland, the team who made it was assembled from the UK.
The night kicked off with French legal drama Anatomy Of A Fall winning the Original Screenplay award after premiering in Cannes back in May.
Following this, drama film Earth Mama was honoured with the BAFTA outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer, presented by David Beckham.
Comedy drama American Fiction has won best adapted screenplay at the Bafta film awards ceremony.
It was previously announced the BAFTA for outstanding British contribution to cinema would go to programmer and archivist June Givanni, founder of the Pan African Film Archive, who collected the prize during the ceremony from Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh.
Margot Robbie, Emily Blunt, Emma Stone and Florence Pugh were among the star-studded arrivals.
Best Film
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Holdovers
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Best Director
Oppenheimer’s is set to sweep the board. One of its many nominations is Christopher Nolan as Best Director
Andrew Haigh, All of Us Stranger
Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
Alexander Payne, The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest
Supporting Actor
Robert De Niro, Killers Of The Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer – WINNER
Jacob Elordi, Saltburn
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Paul Mescal, All Of Us Strangers
Dominic Sessa, The Holdovers
Supporting Actress
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
Claire Foy, All Of Us Strangers
Sandra Hüller, The Zone Of Interest
Rosamund Pike, Saltburn
Da’vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers – WINNER
Original Screenplay
Anatomy Of A Fall has received plenty of nominations including for Original Screenplay
Anatomy of a Fall – WINNER
Barbie
The Holdovers
Maestro
Past Lives
Adapted Screenplay
All Of Us Strangers
American Fiction – WINNER
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone Of Interest
Animated Film
Chicken Run’s sequel Dawn Of The Nugget is up for Animated Film
The Boy And The Heron – WINNER
Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget
Elemental
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
British Short Film
Festival Of Slaps
Gorka
Jellyfish And Lobster – WINNER
Such A Lovely Day
Yellow
Cinematography
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
The Sone Of Interest
Documentary
20 Days In Mariupol – WINNER
American Symphony
Beyond Utopia
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
Wham!
Make Up & Hair
Killers Of The Flower Moon earned plenty of nominations. Pictured: Lily Gladstone and Leonardo di Caprio
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Maestro
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Product Design
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone Of Interest
Special Visual Effects
Poor Things, featuring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo (both pictured), is up for Special Visual Effects
The Creator
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
Poor Things – WINNER
Leading Actor
Barry Keoghan is up for Leading Actor for his performance in Saltburn
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Barry Keoghan, Saltburn
Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Teo Yoo, Past Lives
Leading Actress
Margot Robbie got nominated for Leading Actress
Fantasia Barrino, The Color Purple
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
Vivian Oparah, Rye Lane
Margot Robbie, Barbie
Emma Stone, Poor Things
Outstanding British Film
All Of Us Strangers
How To Have Sex
Napoleon
The Old Oak
Poor Things
Rye Lane
Saltburn
Scrapper
Wonka
The Zone Of Interest
Film Not in the English Language
20 Days In Mariupol
Anatomy of a Fall
Past Lives
Society of the Snow
The Zone of Interest – WINNER
Outstanding Debut
How To Have Sex got a nod for Outstanding Debut
Blue Bag Life
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Earth Mama
How To Have Sex
Is There Anybody Out There?
Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer
Lisa Selby, Rebecca Lloyd-Evans, Alex Fry
Christopher Sharp
Savanah Leaf, Shirley O’connor, Medb Riordan – WINNER
Molly Manning Walker
Ella Glendining
British Short Animation
Crab Day – WINNER
Visible Mending
Wild Summon
Casting
The Holdovers had a good showing, including being up for Casting
All Of Us Strangers
Anatomy Of A Fall
The Holdovers – WINNER
How To Have Sex
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Costume Design
Barbie
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Editing
Anatomy Of A Fall
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
The Zone Of Interest
Original Score
Killers Of The Flower Moon
Oppenheimer – WINNER
Poor Things
Saltburn
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Sound
The Zone Of Interest is up for Sound alongside Oppenheimer, Maestro and others
Ferrari
Maestro
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone Of Interest – WINNER
EE Rising Star
Phoebe Dynevor
Ayo Edebiri
Jacob Elordi
Mia McKenna-Bruce
Sophie Wilde
