The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign. The annual formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented is a major part of the film industry's awards season, which culminates each year with the Academy Awards. The first Golden Globe Awards were held in 1944, at the 20th Century Fox studios. Subsequent ceremonies would be held at various venues throughout the next decade, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, telecast to 167 countries worldwide, generally ranks as the third most-watched awards show each year, behind only the Oscars and the Grammy Awards. Until Ricky Gervais hosted the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards Ceremony in 2010, the award ceremony was one of two major Hollywood award ceremonies (the other being the Screen Actors Guild Awards) that did not have a regular host; every year a different presenter introduced the ceremony at the beginning of the broadcast. Gervais returned to host the 68th annual Golden Globe Awards in 2011, and will return to host the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards in 2012.
In acting categories, Meryl Streep holds the record for the most competitive Golden Globe wins with seven. However, including honorary awards, such as the Henrietta Award – World Film Favorite Actor/Actress or Cecil B. DeMille Award – Barbra Streisand leads with 11 awards. Jack Nicholson, Angela Lansbury and Alan Alda have six awards each. Behind them is Rosalind Russell and Sophia Loren with five wins. Streep also holds the record for most nominations with twenty-six (as of the 2011 nominations) and Jack Lemmon is second with twenty-two.
