LA LA LAND's Ryan Gosling Wins Golden Globe Award for Best Actor

Ryan Gosling has won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical/Comedy for his role of Sebastian in LA LA LAND.

Also this evening, LA LA LAND picked up awards for Best Motion Picture, Comedy/Musical, Best Score, Best Original Song for 'City of Stars', featuring music by Justin Hurwitz and lyrics by Tony nominated composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, Emma Stone for Best Actress and Best Screenplay and Best Director for Damien Chazelle.

Gosling began his career as a child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club (1993-95) and went on to appear in other family entertainment programs including Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1995) and Goosebumps (1996). He starred in the television series Breaker High (1997-98) as Sean Hanlon and Young Hercules (1998-99) as the title role. His first starring role was as a Jewish neo-Nazi in The Believer (2001), and he then built a reputation for starring in independent films such as Murder by Numbers (2002), The Slaughter Rule (2002), and The United States of Leland (2003).

Gosling came to the attention of a wider audience in 2004 with a leading role in the romantic drama The Notebook, for which he won four Teen Choice Awards and an MTV Movie Award. His performance as a drug-addicted teacher in Half Nelson (2006) was nominated for an Academy Award and his performance as a socially inept loner in Lars and the Real Girl (2007) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Also in 2007, he starred in the courtroom thriller Fracture. After a three-year acting hiatus, Gosling starred in Blue Valentine, earning him a second Golden Globe nomination. 2011 proved to be a landmark year for Gosling as he co-starred in three mainstream films - the romantic comedy-drama Crazy, Stupid, Love, the political drama The Ides of March and the action thriller Drive - and received two Golden Globe nominations. In 2013, he starred in the crime thriller Gangster Squad, the generational drama The Place Beyond the Pines, and the violent revenge film Only God Forgives. His directorial debut Lost River was released in 2014. In 2015, he joined an ensemble cast for the financial drama The Big Short.

Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Damien Chazelle, LA LA LAND tells the story of Mia [Emma Stone], an aspiring actress, and Sebastian [Ryan Gosling], a dedicated jazz musician, who are struggling to make ends meet in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Set in modern day Los Angeles, this original musical about everyday life explores the joy and pain of pursuing your dreams.

Photo: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos