Colin Firth was crowned the country's Leading Actor as The King's Speech swept the board at the Orange British Academy Film Awards (Baftas).
The tale of stuttering monarch King George VI scooped seven awards on the night at the Royal Opera House in London. Speaking as he picked up the Leading Actor award for the second year running, he joked: "I like coming here, thank you Bafta."
Referring to his role in the Abba-inspired Mamma Mia!, Firth thanked his family for "remaining so steady whether they are dealing with a dancing queen or a sometime king".
Speaking backstage, he joked he had "plenty of shelf space" for the awards he has won for the role as the king, and said he was looking forward to the Oscars where he is heavily tipped to win Best Actor.
He said: "There is immense excitement, there is no lack of excitement but it is very hard to talk about something that hasn't happened."
Asked about reports the film had been given royal approval by the Queen, he said: "It would mean an enormous amount if that were to be the case. Even if the person you were playing had a living daughter who wasn't the Queen it would be important."
He also paid tribute to his co-stars, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, who won awards for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively.
In her acceptance speech, Bonham Carter warned her children "It's not about the winning" and told Firth: "King Colin you're deserving everything you're getting."
The film also picked up awards for Best Film, Original Music, Outstanding British Film and Original Screenplay for its writer, David Seidler.
Seidler, who was born in London but later moved to the United States, said: "This is a nice way to come home."
The writer, who overcame a speech impediment in his childhood, said: "For a stutterer, for a stammerer, to be heard is a wonderful thing."
There was disappointment for the film's director Tom Hooper, who lost out to David Fincher for the Facebook film The Social Network.
Tanya Seghatchian, head of the UK Film Council's Film Fund, said the film which received funding from the now-defunct organisation was "a great validation for the UK film industry as a whole and an amazing legacy for the UK Film Council".
Natalie Portman won the Leading Actress award for her role as a ballet dancer in Black Swan.
The film's director, Darren Aronofsky, accepted the award on her behalf, saying: "She is by far the most committed, dedicated, focused actor I have ever worked with."
The event ended with a standing ovation for veteran actor Sir Christopher Lee.
He accepted the Bafta Fellowship from Tim Burton, who described the 88-year-old as an "electrifying screen presence".
Lee, famous for his roles in dozens of horror films and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, thanked his "fellow thespians" and the Bafta committee.
He said: "This is a truly great honour, a great, great honour. Two things really make it so, the fact that this was voted to me by my peers and secondly that I received it from one of the great directors of our age."
The ceremony had opened with a string of gags from host Jonathan Ross who promised that Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais would not get into the building.
Full list of winners >>
