There was no picket line preventing Daniel Day-Lewis or Julie Christie from the red carpet last night as they picked up the top prizes at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

The two British-born stars underscored their status as Oscars front-runners at the ceremony, which was the first major Hollywood award show of the year not to be affected by the screenwriters' strike.

Day-Lewis was crowned best actor for his performance as a tyrannical oil prospector in There Will Be Blood while Christie earned the best actress prize for playing an Alzheimer’s sufferer in Away From Her.

In his acceptance speech Day-Lewis dedicated his award to Heath Ledger, who was found dead in New York last week, saying the Australian actor was someone whose performances inspired him to keep working.

“There are many actors in this room tonight including my fellow nominees who’ve given me that sense of regeneration. Heath Ledger gave it to me,” he said, to loud applause. Ledger’s performance in 2005's Brokeback Mountain as a homosexual cowboy, had been “unique”, the actor said.

“That scene in the trailer at the end of the film is as moving as anything I’ve ever seen and I’d like to dedicate this to him.”

Christie meanwhile paid tribute to the cast and crew of her drama about a woman slowly descending into dementia and joked: “If I’ve forgotten anybody it’s just that I’m still in character."

The British actress was one of the few stars to mention the writers' dispute. "It's lovely to receive an award from your own union, especially at a time when we're being so forcefully reminded how important unions are," she said.

Unlike other the Golden Globe awards, which the writers' strike reduced to a brief press conference earlier this month, the show went ahead because the writers' union reached an agreement with the actors' guild to allow its members to take part.

The SAG union strongly supports the striking writers who are demanding a new contract with royalty payments for DVD sales and internet downloads.

The Writers' Guild of America has been locked in stalemate with the studios, largely over the way internet royalties are paid.The two parties resumed informal negotiations with the studios last week, after the writers dropped their demand for jurisdiction over reality TV and animation. It is understood there is now a deadline to reach a deal by February 24, the day before the Oscar ceremony.

The SAG Awards have been a reliable indicator of likely Oscars. For the past three years, the best actor and actress winners have gone on to win Academy Awards. Day-Lewis and Christie are now favourites to win at the ceremony on February 25.

Javier Bardem cemented his status as an Oscars certainty after picking up the best supporting actor award for his portrayal of a psychopathic hitman in No Country for Old Men. The film, which also stars Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald, Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee Jones, also won the award outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture

Bardem paid tribute to the film’s directors, Joel and Ethan Coen, after collecting his prize. “Thank you for hiring me and showing the hard work and dedication to get the good takes instead of the ones where I really sucked,” Bardem said. “To receive this is thoroughly unbelievable. I’m a Spanish actor and being welcomed this way from all of you it’s more than I can express in words."

No Country for Old Men, is a favourite to dominate at the Oscars after earning eight nominations.

The best supporting actress saw a surprise win for 83-year-old Ruby Dee, winning for her performance in the Ridley Scott-directed crime drama American Gangster. The pre-awards favourite had been Cate Blanchett for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. Dee was also last week nominated for an Oscar for the role.

The television acting awards were dominated by long-running mob drama The Sopranos, which took awards for best actor, best actress and best ensemble cast.

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