US actors turned the 2017 Golden Globe Awards into a scathing attack on Donald Trump, with several of the evening's winners using their acceptance speech to deride the president-elect.

The Golden Globes, organised by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were handed out on Sunday in Beverly Hills, honouring the best of film and television.

Meryl Streep, who received a lifetime achievement award , said she had been heartbroken by Trump's imitation of a disabled reporter during his campaign.

"There was one performance this year that stunned me," Streep, 67, said.

"It sank its hooks in my heart. Not because it was good. It was that moment when the person asking to sit in the most respected seat in our country imitated a disabled reporter."

List of winners at the 2017 Golden Globe Awards MOTION PICTURES: - Motion Picture, Drama: "Moonlight." - Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: "La La Land." - Actor, Motion Picture, Drama: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea." - Actress, Motion Picture, Drama: Isabelle Huppert, "Elle." - Director, Motion Picture: Damien Chazelle, "La La Land." - Actor, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Ryan Gosling, "La La Land." - Actress, Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy: Emma Stone, "La La Land." - Supporting Actor, Motion Picture: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, "Nocturnal Animals." - Supporting Actress, Motion Picture: Viola Davis, "Fences." - Foreign Language Film: "Elle." - Animated Film: "Zootopia." - Screenplay, Motion Picture: Damien Chazelle, "La La Land." - Original Score, Motion Picture: Justin Hurwitz, "La La Land." - Original Song, Motion Picture: "City of Stars," \'\'La La Land." TELEVISION: - TV Series, Drama: "The Crown." - Actor, TV Series, Drama: Billy Bob Thornton, "Goliath." - Actress, TV Series, Drama: Claire Foy, "The Crown." - TV Series, Musical or Comedy: "Atlanta." - Actor, TV Series, Musical or Comedy: Donald Glover, "Atlanta." - Actress, TV Series, Musical or Comedy: Tracee Ellis Ross, "black-ish." - Limited Series or TV Movie: "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." - Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie: Tom Hiddleston, "The Night Manager." - Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie: Sarah Paulson, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." - Supporting Actor, Series or TV Movie: Hugh Laurie, "The Night Manager." - Supporting Actress, Series or TV Movie: Olivia Colman, "The Night Manager." ___ - Cecil B. DeMille Award: Meryl Streep.

The three-time Oscar winner was referring to a 2015 incident at a South Carolina rally when Trump flailed his arms and slurred in his speech in an apparent mocking of New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, who has a physical disability.

Trump in a series of tweets on Monday repeated his denial that he ever imitated the reporter.

Meryl Streep, one of the most over-rated actresses in Hollywood, doesn't know me but attacked last night at the Golden Globes. She is a..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

Hillary flunky who lost big. For the 100th time, I never "mocked" a disabled reporter (would never do that) but simply showed him....... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

"groveling" when he totally changed a 16 year old story that he had written in order to make me look bad. Just more very dishonest media! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2017

"It kind of broke my heart when I saw it and I still can't get it out of my head because it wasn't in a movie. It was real life," Streep said.

"This instinct to humiliate when it's modelled by someone in the public platform by someone powerful it filters down into everybody's life. Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence."

While Streep did not name Trump directly, she used almost the entire speech to criticise his behaviour and policies, while calling for Hollywood to stand strong against any attacks and to support a free press through organisations such as the Committee to Protect Journalists.

The audience sat in stunned silence for much of it.

"Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence."



Meryl Streep takes on Donald Trump in #GoldenGlobes speech. pic.twitter.com/TbMGLz5IkM — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 9, 2017

Streep earned a cheer from the crowd when she said that, "Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners".

"If you kick them all out, you'll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not art," she said.

Trump, who takes office on January 20, made a tough stance on immigration a cornerstone of his campaign. Hollywood actors and studio executives were mostly behind his Democratic party rival Hillary Clinton.

Streep ended her speech with a nod to her long-time friend, Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who died last month after a heart attack.

"As my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia, said to me once, 'Take your broken heart and make it into art'," Streep said, her voice cracking with emotion.

The Committee to Protect Journalists tweeted to the actress : "Thank you Meryl Streep for your generosity & support of our mission to protect journalists and press freedom around the world."

'Honouring popular vote'

The evening was presented by late night television host Jimmy Fallon, who fired off a fusillade of jokes, several aimed at Trump.

Fallon saluted the Globes as "one of the few places where America still honours the popular vote", referring to the fact that Clinton got more votes in total than Trump.

Then, noting that Game of Thrones was among this year's nominated series, he said some fans had wondered how that show would have unfolded had the childish, villainous King Joffrey survived, and not died, a while back.

"Well, in 12 days," Fallon cracked, "we're gonna find out".

Perhaps he summed things up best by pointing to the notably bleak nominated film Manchester by the Sea - "the only thing from 2016", he said, "that was more depressing than 2016".

A bit later, Hugh Laurie, winning best supporting actor in a limited series for The Night Manager, kept the mordant party going with his acceptance remarks.

He began by voicing thanks to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for his win at "the last-ever Golden Globes".

"I don't mean to be gloomy," he went on, "it's just that it has the words 'Hollywood,' 'foreign' and 'press' in the title." Cheers rang out.

"I also think that, to some Republicans, even the word 'association' is slightly sketchy."

Paul Verhoeven's Elle won best foreign language film and its star, Isabelle Huppert, was crowned best actress in a drama. The French actress vowed: "Do not expect cinema to put up walls and borders."