King And Queen Rule Baftas

Dame Helen Mirren broke down in tears as she picked up the Best Actress Award at the BAFTAs last night (11.02.07).

Helen – who was honoured for her performance in ‘The Queen’, which focused on the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana in 1997 – paid an emotional tribute to her close friend, actor Ian Richardson, who passed away on Friday (09.02.07), aged 72.

Helen said: “When I started out as an actress he was so generous and became my mentor. He believed in me and therefore I believed in myself. This is for Ian, I wouldn’t be here without him.”

‘The Queen’ also beat ‘Babel’ and ‘The Departed’ to the Best Film title.

The ceremony – held at London’s Royal Opera House – proved to be a disappointment for the makers of latest Bond film ‘Casino Royale’.

The 007 adventure only picked up one award, Best Sound, despite being shortlisted for a staggering nine accolades.

Bond star Daniel Craig missed out on the Best Actor prize, which went to Forest Whittaker for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in ‘The Last King Of Scotland’.