Bafta Awards 2015: Eddie Redmayne triumphs winning Best Actor award

It was a great night for British stars and cinema at the 68th annual BAFTA awards.

Eddie Redmayne walked away with the Best Actor award for his tender portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.

Redmayne who is tipped to win an Oscar said in an impassioned speech it was "one of the best nights of my life."

Accepting the award he said: "I'd like to dedicate this wonderful honour to three families. My family who have had tremendous faith in me even when I lost myself for a bit. My professional family Felicity Jones you are a wonder. James Marsh, you took such a gargantuan punt on me thanks for that.

"But really this award belongs to one incredible family and they are here today. I'd like to thank them for their trust in us, their generosity and kindness and for reminding me of the great strength that comes to living a full and passionate life."

Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes were among the Best Actor nominees who lost out on the prize, but gamely cheered on the elated Redmayne.

Hitting the red carpet in all their finery were the likes of Julianne Moore, Michael Keaton, Ralph Fiennes, Rosamund Pike, Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, guest presenter David Beckham, Steve Carrell, Tom Cruise and Professor Stephen Hawking, on whose life The Theory of Everything was based.

Hollywood too was strongly represented amongst the winners at the Royal Opera House with Julianne Moore, Patricia Arquette and the cast of the coming of age movie which was 12 years in the making, Boyhood, tasting triumph on the night.

Moore has received plaudits for her touching performance in Still Alice which addresses the experience of a woman suffering the early onset of Alzheimers.

Dedicating her award to her Scottish aunts and her mother Anne she thanked her fellow nominees and the cast of the film saying: "Thank you for including me among these beautiful performances both British and American."

The Hollywood set were a star attraction with Reese Witherspoon, Amy Adams, Cuba Gooding Jr, Patricia Arquette and Tom Cruise bringing a touch of LA glamour to the proceedings.

The Mission Impossible star was there to present the award for Best Film to the cast and crew of Richard Linklater's Boyhood.

Stephen Fry could not conceal his delight on introducing the star exclaiming: "OMFG. It's Tom f***ing Cruise."

"It's an honour for me to be with you all tonight in London to celebrate an incredible year in cinema," said an amused Cruise.

Another star draw was Professor Stephen Hawking who took to the stage as a guest presenter.

The event paid tribute also to those much loved stars who were lost in 2014 with a special tribute to Sir Richard Attenborough introduced by his Chaplin star Robert Downey Junior.

Veteran director Michael Leigh was presented with the Fellowship award for his contribution to British cinema.

"This is very nice indeed," he said. "How lucky we all are to have been born in this magical age of cinema. What is important to me is that you have shown your respect for an off-beat, alternative idiosyncratic, personal kind of popular cinema. An independent cinema."

Another unexpected winner on the night was recently married host Stephen Fry who scored a succession of kisses from Michael Keaton, Ed Norton and Cuba Gooding Jr.

IBTimes presents the full list of winners:

Best Film
Birdman
Boyhood - WINNER!
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything

Outstanding British Film
'71
The Imitation Game
Paddington
Pride
The Theory of Everything - WINNER!
Under the Skin

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Northern Soul (Elaine Constantine)
'71 (Yann Demange, Gregory Burke)
Lilting (Hong Khaou)
Kajaki: The True Story (Paul Katis, Andrew de Lotbiniere)
Pride (Stephen Beresford, David Livingstone) - WINNER!

Film Not in the English Language
Ida - WINNER!
Leviathan
The Lunchbox
Trash
Two Days, One Night

Documentary
20 Feet from Stardom
20,000 Days on Earth
CitizenFour - WINNER!
Finding Vivian Maier
Virunga

Animated Film
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie - WINNER!

Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
Richard Linklater (Boyhood) - WINNER!
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
James Marsh (The Theory of Everything)
Damien Chazelle (Whiplash)

Original Screenplay
Birdman (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris Jr, Armando Bo)
Boyhood (Richard Linklater)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson) - WINNER!
Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)
Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)

Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper (Jason Hall)
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn)
The Imitation Game (Graham Moore)
Paddington (Paul King)
The Theory of Everything (Anthony McCarten) - WINNER!

Leading Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) - WINNER!

Leading Actress
Amy Adams (Big Eyes)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice) - WINNER!
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)

Supporting Actor
Steve Carell (Foxcatcher)
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
JK Simmons (Whiplash) - WINNER!

Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) - WINNER!
Keira Knightly (The Imitation Game)
Imelda Staunton (Pride)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Rene Russo (Nightcrawler)

Original Music
Birdman (Antonio Sanchez)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Alexandre Desplat) - WINNER!
Interstellar (Hans Zimmer)
The Theory of Everything (Jóhann Jóhannsson)
Under the Skin (Mica Levi)

Cinematography
Birdman - WINNER!
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Interstellar
Mr Turner

Editing
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash - WINNER!

Production Design
Big Eyes
The Grand Budapest Hotel - WINNER!
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr Turner

Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel - WINNER!
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Mr Turner
The Theory of Everything

Make Up & Hair
The Grand Budapest Hotel - WINNER!
Guardians of the Galaxy
Into the Woods
Mr Turner
The Theory of Everything

Sound
American Sniper
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash - WINNER!

Special Visual Effects
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar - WINNER!
X-Men: Days of Future Past

British Short Animation
The Bigger Picture - WINNER!
Monkey Love Experiments
My Dad

British Short Film
Boogaloo and Graham - WINNER!
Emotional Fusebox
The Kármán Line
Slap
Three Brothers

EE Rising Star Award
Shailene Woodley
Jack O'Connell - WINNER!
Miles Teller
Margot Robbie
Gugu Mbatha-Raw