The 18th edition of SAG Awards was held at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on Sunday evening, January 29. Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Actor statuette honored the prime-time television performances and the exceptional motion pictures of 2011.

The SAG Awards was transmitted live on TBS and TNT. Berenice Bejo, Brad Pitt, Bryan Cranston, Don Cheadle, George Clooney and Viola Davis were among the presenters. About 100,000 members of  Screen Actors Guild were able to vote for the nominees.

Mary Tyler Moore received the lifetime achievement award at SAG awards 2012.

Mary Tyler Moore as Laura Petrie in The Dick van Dyke Show. She won the prize for life time achievement at SAG Awards 2012.

Dick Van Dyke, her co-star on the  sit-com “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, introduced her to the public.

In 1955, when she had 18, there were six Mary Moores in the Screen Actors Guild, thus she had to change her name, she recalled. Tyler is the middle name she shares with her father, George.

“I was Mary Tyler Moore. I spoke it out loud. Mary Tyler Moore. It sounded right so I wrote it down on the form, and it looked right. It was right. SAG was happy, my father was happy, and tonight, after having the privilege of working in this business among the most creative and talented people imaginable, I too am happy, after all,” she said.

Moore, 75, is especially known for “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (1961–66) and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” (1970–77).

Jean Dujardin surpassed George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio and won the prize for outstanding performance by a male actor in a leading role. In “The Artist” he plays the role of a silent-film star which career starts to move to an end when the talkies arrive.

Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer (“The Help“) won prizes in the leading and supporting actress categories at SAG Awards 2012.

They play the roles of two black maids. In the 1960s Mississippi they have the courage to go public about the bigotry. “The Help,” also won outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.

“I just have to say that the stain of racism and sexism is not just for people of color or women. It’s all of our burden, all of us,” Viola Davis said.

Christopher Plummer won supporting-actor prize for his part in “Beginners“. He plays the role of an old widower who comes out as gay. He is also nominated for an Oscar and won at the Golden Globes. The 82-year-old artist could be the oldest actor to receive an Academy Award. Jessica Tandy was 80 when she won best actress for “Driving Miss Daisy.”

“Modern Family” received the outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series award; Alec Baldwin won best actor for “30 Rock“.

Betty White won best actress at SAG awards 2012  for her Elka Ostrovsky part in “Hot in Cleveland.”

“You can’t name me, without naming those other wonderful women on `Hot in Cleveland. This nomination belongs to four of us. Please, please know that I’m dealing them right in with this. I’m not going to let them keep this, but I’ll let them see it,” she said.

Betty Marion White Ludden turned 90 on January 17.  She is known for  “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Golden Girls“.

“Game of Thrones” won the outstanding performance by a stunt ensemble award in a television series, outgoing “Dexter“,” Spartacus: Gods of the Arena”,” Southland“, and “True Blood”.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” took the prize in the category of outstanding performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture.

Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was created in 1933 to protect the actors in Hollywood from beeing exploited.

It represents over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide. The Screen Actors Guild is associated with the Associated Actors and Artistes of America (AAAA) and is affiliated with the International Federation of Actors.

In 1995, the guild has started Screen Actors Guild Awards, this gala is perceived as an indicator of success at the Academy Awards.

Who wins one of the SAG awards has a good chance to win Oscars, too. Actors who received acting awards at SAG 2011, won Oscars later: Christian Bale and Melissa Leo (“The Fighter”), Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”), Natalie Portman (“Black Swan”).

 Mary Tyler Moore, SAG Awards 2012 winner, in “The Dick van Dyke Show” (video):

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