LOS ANGELES — The King's Speech won the best-actor trophy Sunday for Colin Firth and a second honor for its overall cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The two prizes capped a weeklong surge of Hollywood honors for the British monarchy saga, which is building momentum for the Feb. 27 Academy Awards, where the Facebook drama The Social Network previously had looked like the favorite.
Natalie Portman earned the best-actress award at the Screen Actors ceremony for Black Swan, while The Fighter co-stars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo swept the supporting-acting honors, boosting their own prospects come Oscar night.
The King's Speech leads Oscar contenders with 12 nominations, among them best picture and actor for Firth, who has been the awards favorite virtually since the film premiered at festivals half a year ago.
"Until today, I would say probably, if ever I felt that I had a trophy which has told me that something's really happening for me, it was my SAG card," said Firth, who plays Queen Elizabeth's dad, George VI, as he takes the throne in the 1930s while struggling to overcome a debilitating stammer.
The King's Speech has surged forward in the past week, pulling upset wins at the Directors Guild and Producers Guild awards and leading the Oscar field at Tuesday's nominations. The Social Network had two SAG nominations but came away empty-handed.
Last year's individual winners at the guild awards — Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side, Mo'nique for Precious and Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds — all went on to win at the Oscars.
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