Jean Dujardin, Alec Baldwin, Betty White win top honours at the Screen Actors Guild awards

JEAN Dujardin has been named best actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, bringing the Hollywood newcomer a step closer to claiming an Academy Award.

The Artist

JEAN Dujardin has won the best actor honour at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for the silent film "The Artist,'' bringing the Hollywood newcomer a step closer to claiming an Academy Award.

Dujardin won for his role as a silent-era superstar whose career collapses as talking pictures take over in the late 1920s.

The winners at the SAG ceremony typically go on to earn Oscars, which will be announced on February 26.

Alec Baldwin won best actor for a comedy show for 30 Rock, and Betty White has won for best actress in a comedy series for Hot in Cleveland at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Earlier, in film, Christopher Plummer of the father-son tale Beginners and Octavia Spencer of the Deep South drama The Help won supporting acting honours.

Before the official ceremony, the Screen Actors Guild presented its honour for best film stunt ensemble to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

The TV stunt award went to Game of Thrones.

Australian actor Guy Pearce missed out on an award for his role in the five-part TV mini-series, Mildred Pierce.

The winner was Paul Giamatti for Too Big to Fail.

The other nominees in the category were Laurence Fishburne (Thurgood), James Woods (Too Big to Fail) and Greg Kinnear (The Kennedys).