BEVERLY HILLS, California, Jan 16 (AFP) - Hollywood favourite Clint Eastwood won the 2005 Golden Globe Award for best director Sunday for his female boxing movie "Million Dollar Baby."
"I thought (my evening) was done when they gave me one of the best 10 tuxes out in the line," Eastwood joked as he accepted his award.
He paid warm tribute to his fellow cast members, "the great" Hilary Swank and "the world's greatest actor" Morgan Freeman, both of whom had been nominated for Globes in the acting categories.
Eastwood also starred in the movie, playing the cynical owner of a run-down gym, who takes on a female boxer (Swank) and trains her to be a champion before an incident in the ring leaves her paralysed.
The veteran actor beat out a strong challenge from Martin Scorcese who had been the pre-ceremony favourite to take home the best director gong for his Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator."
Other nominees included Marc Forster for "Finding Neverland," Mike Nichols for "Closer," and Alexander Payne for "Sideways."
01/17/2005 03:20 GMT - AFP