Best actor in a drama went to Daniel Day-Lewis for his role in the biopic Lincoln, while Jessica Chastain won best actress in a drama for Zero Dark Thirty.
Earlier, British singer Adele won best song for the theme to the James Bond film Skyfall.
Collecting her trophy, she said: "Honestly, I've come out for a night out with my friend Ida - we're new mums - I have literally come for a night out. I was not expecting this."
The Golden Globes gives a separate accolade for best film musical or comedy, which was won by Tom Hooper's film of stage hit Les Miserables - the only British film to win an award.
It won three in total, with actress Anne Hathaway winning best supporting actress for her portrayal of Fantine in the film.
"Thank you for this lovely blunt object that I will forevermore use as a weapon against self-doubt," she said as she collected her trophy.
The film's lead Hugh Jackman won best actor in a musical or comedy.
Eric Fellner, producer of Les Miserables and co-chairman of Working Title Film, said: "Making this film was an incredibly risky proposition.
"But so much passion and love was put into the making of it and that's what seems to have won out."
Homeland took best TV drama, with Damian Lewis winning best TV actor for his role in the series.
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Director Tom Hooper saw his two stars, Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman, win awards |
Christoph Waltz took best supporting actor for his role in the film.
But the western lost out to Argo in the best drama category along with Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, Life of Pi, Ang Lee's adaption of the Yann Martel novel, and Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow's film about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden.
Amour, directed by Austria's Michael Haneke, won best foreign film.
In the drama actor category, Day-Lewis was shortlisted alongside fellow Oscar candidates Denzel Washington and Joaquin Phoenix.
Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper was also nominated for the award, with both men also nominated in the best actor category at the Oscars.
The best actress in a musical or comedy category was won by Cooper's co-star in Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence.
Accepting her award, Lawrence thanked producer Harvey Weinstein for "killing whoever you had to kill to get me up here".
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Adele sparkled in a floor-length black gown at the ceremony in Los Angeles |
"President Lincoln's struggle to abolish slavery reminds us that enduring progress is forged in a cauldron of both principle and compromise," he said. "This brilliant film shows us how he did it and gives us hope that we can do it again."
The ceremony's co-host Amy Poehler, said after Clinton left the stage, "Wow, what an exciting special guest! That was Hillary Clinton's husband!"
Comedy actresses Poehler and 30 Rock star Tina Fey took over presenter duties from Britain's Ricky Gervais, who had hosted the ceremony for the last three years.
The pair were both nominated for the best TV comedy actress prize for their work in 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation respectively.
"Tina, I just want to say that I very much hope that I win," said Poehler, as the ceremony began.
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Assisting Poehler and Fey on stage were Mr and Miss Golden Globes, the recipients of honorary titles that are traditionally awarded annually to the children of celebrities with their own ambitions in the industry.VERDICT ON HOSTS
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| • "It was nice to see Fey and Poehler prove that they could be fantastic, funny hosts while also staying out of the limelight." Hollywood Reporter • "Nearly every joke told or stunt pulled by hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler was solidly, often exceedingly, funny, from Poehler's line 'When it comes to torture I trust the woman married for three years to James Cameron' to Fey's admonition to Taylor Swift to 'stay away from Michael J Fox's son' - startled-looking, handsome Sam Fox, this year's Mr. Golden Globe." Entertainment Weekly • "For all the hype in having former and current nominees Amy Poehler and Tina Fey as hosts, their performances didn't add much to this year's Golden Globes ceremony." Daily Telegraph However, they were both pipped by Lena Dunham, creator and star of sitcom Girls, which also won best comedy TV series. |
Sam Michael Fox, son of Michael J Fox, and Clint Eastwood's daughter Francesca were the two scions selected this year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HPFA), organisers of the awards.
Two-time Oscar winner, Jodie Foster, who has also won two Globes from seven nominations, received the Cecil B DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.
She used her thank-you speech to make an impassioned plea for privacy.
"If you had been a public figure from the time that you were a toddler, if you'd had to fight for a life that felt real and honest and normal against all odds, then maybe you too might value privacy above all else. Privacy. Some day, in the future, people will look back and remember how beautiful it once was."
The Silence Of The Lambs star also addressed her sexuality for the first time in public, saying she had come out to "trusted friends and family", then "gradually, proudly" to everyone she met.
"But now I'm told, apparently that every celebrity is expected to honour the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance and a prime-time reality show."
The 50-year-old went on to thank her former partner Cydney Bernard, her two sons and her mother Evelyn, before pledging to keep making films.
"Here's to the next 50 years."
The ceremony was shown live in the US on the NBC network, with edited highlights to follow in the UK on the 5USA channel on Monday.
