Golden Globe Awards

The Golden Globe Awards are presented by the Hollywood Press Association (HFPA) in recognition of excellence in film and television. The event forms part of the film industry's yearly awards season and the ceremony includes a formal dinner for the attendees.

The HFPA, an organization of journalists specializing in the entertainment industry, first held the event in 1944 at the 20th Century Fox studios in Los Angeles. The Globes are telecast each year to more than 150 countries and rank as the third most-watched awards show, after the Oscar's and the Grammy's. The revenues created from the ceremony's viewership enable the HFPA to donate millions of dollars to entertainment-related charities.

Although the awards were initially reserved for motion pictures, since 1956 these also include awards for television performance and production.

Actresses Meryl Streep and Barbra Streisand currently hold the highest number of Golden Globe wins, with 8 and 9 awards respectively.

Since 1950 the HFPA decided to include an award that would recognize those figures who have made outstanding contributions to the entertainment industry. The first such award was presented to the director and producer Cecil B. DeMille, thus the award itself became officially known as the Cecil B. DeMille award.