Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren confirmed their status as favourites to claim the Oscar after they won top honours at the 13 Annual Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles last night.

Confirming that it is a best picture Oscar frontrunner, Little Miss Sunshine won the ensemble cast award, beating heavyweight films such as Babel and The Departed.

Whitaker was recognised for his portrayal as former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland, while Mirren won for her performance as Elizabeth II in the difficult days following the death of Princess Diana in The Queen.

As they had at the Golden Globes, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson from Dreamgirls won the supporting actor prizes. As she did at the Golden Globes, Mirren also won the award for best female actor in a television series or mini-series for Elizabeth I.

Full list of theatrical winners:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Forest Whitaker, The Last King Of Scotland

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Helen Mirren, The Queen

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Little Miss Sunshine

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