British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor has won Best Actor at the Baftas for his role as Solomon Northup in Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave.

Ejiofor, 36, plays black New Yorker Northup, who is kidnapped and sold into the American South slave trade in 1841.

The actor, a former EE Rising Star nominee, beat competition from Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, Christian Bale for American Hustle, Bruce Dern for Nebraska and Tom Hanks for Philomena.

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Ejiofor thanked Bafta for the "incredible" award and paid tribute to McQueen's "artistry and passion".

"You really brought us all through it," he told the director. "You had the real vision to tell this remarkable story. The extraordinary life that he had, and to tell this story in a way to make it of such value, of such worth to all who were there. Thank you for this, it was yours. I’m going to keep it, but it’s yours."

Ejiofor originally turned down the role of Solomon Northup out of fear of being "the guy that messed it up".

Shape Created with Sketch. Baftas 2014: The winners Show all 13 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Baftas 2014: The winners 1/13 Bafta 2014 winners Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi (left) poses with the award for a supporting actor for his work on the film 'Captain Phillips' with presenter British actress Emma Thompson Getty Images 2/13 Bafta 2014 winners Actor and producer Brad Pitt poses with his award for best film for "12 Years A Slave" Getty Images 3/13 Bafta 2014 winners Helen Mirren poses with the academy fellowship award at the Bafta awards Getty Images 4/13 Bafta 2014 winners British director Steve McQueen poses with the award for best film for '12 Years A Slave' at the Baftas Getty Images 5/13 Bafta 2014 winners Chiwetel Ejiofor poses with the award for best leading actor for his work on the film '12 Years a Slave' Getty Images 6/13 Bafta 2014 winners From left to right: Producer Dede Gardner, Producer Jeremy Kleiner, Director Steve McQueen, Producer Anthony Katagas and Brad Pitt pose with their awards for best film for '12 Years A Slave' Getty Images 7/13 Bafta 2014 winners Cate Blanchett poses with the award for best leading actress for her work on the film 'Blue Jasmine' Getty Images 8/13 Bafta 2014 winners British writer, producer and actor Steve Coogan (right) and British writer Jeff Pope pose with the award for an adapted screenplay for 'Philomena' Getty Images 9/13 Bafta 2014 winners Will Poulter poses with the rising star award at the Baftas Getty Images 10/13 Bafta 2014 winners James W. Griffiths (R) and Sophie Venner (L) pose with their awards for a British short film for 'Room 8' Getty Images 11/13 Bafta 2014 winners US directors Chris Buck (L) and Jennifer Lee (R) pose with the award for an animated film for 'Frozen' Getty Images 12/13 Bafta 2014 winners British composer Steven Price poses with the award for original music for his work on the film 'Gravity' flanked by presenters British singer-songwriter Laura Mvula (right) and British rapper Tinie Tempah Getty Images 13/13 Bafta 2014 winners British director Peter Greenaway poses with the outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the Baftas Getty Images 1/13 Bafta 2014 winners Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi (left) poses with the award for a supporting actor for his work on the film 'Captain Phillips' with presenter British actress Emma Thompson Getty Images 2/13 Bafta 2014 winners Actor and producer Brad Pitt poses with his award for best film for "12 Years A Slave" Getty Images 3/13 Bafta 2014 winners Helen Mirren poses with the academy fellowship award at the Bafta awards Getty Images 4/13 Bafta 2014 winners British director Steve McQueen poses with the award for best film for '12 Years A Slave' at the Baftas Getty Images 5/13 Bafta 2014 winners Chiwetel Ejiofor poses with the award for best leading actor for his work on the film '12 Years a Slave' Getty Images 6/13 Bafta 2014 winners From left to right: Producer Dede Gardner, Producer Jeremy Kleiner, Director Steve McQueen, Producer Anthony Katagas and Brad Pitt pose with their awards for best film for '12 Years A Slave' Getty Images 7/13 Bafta 2014 winners Cate Blanchett poses with the award for best leading actress for her work on the film 'Blue Jasmine' Getty Images 8/13 Bafta 2014 winners British writer, producer and actor Steve Coogan (right) and British writer Jeff Pope pose with the award for an adapted screenplay for 'Philomena' Getty Images 9/13 Bafta 2014 winners Will Poulter poses with the rising star award at the Baftas Getty Images 10/13 Bafta 2014 winners James W. Griffiths (R) and Sophie Venner (L) pose with their awards for a British short film for 'Room 8' Getty Images 11/13 Bafta 2014 winners US directors Chris Buck (L) and Jennifer Lee (R) pose with the award for an animated film for 'Frozen' Getty Images 12/13 Bafta 2014 winners British composer Steven Price poses with the award for original music for his work on the film 'Gravity' flanked by presenters British singer-songwriter Laura Mvula (right) and British rapper Tinie Tempah Getty Images 13/13 Bafta 2014 winners British director Peter Greenaway poses with the outstanding British contribution to cinema award at the Baftas Getty Images

"When I read the script, I thought it was an extraordinary story but I did feel the weight and the responsibility of it," he told the BBC. "I hadn’t seen a story from inside the slave experience as a film and I’d been accustomed to the fact I’d probably never see it.

"So to be handed that kind of opportunity and the responsibility of telling (Northup's) story – I just questioned myself and was stuck for a moment with the questions of whether I could do that."

Ejiofor is nominated for the Best Actor Oscar ahead of the Hollywood ceremony on Sunday 2 March. But Matthew McConaughey, who plays an AIDS sufferer in Dallas Buyers Club, will be his closest rival, having won the Screen Actors Guild Award for the role. McConaughey was not nominated for Best Actor at the Baftas.

Barkhad Abdi won Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Somalian pirate in Captain Phillips. Emma Thompson presented the newcomer, who was attending his first awards ceremony, with the prize - previously expected to go to Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave.

Speaking to the BBC on the red carpet earlier, Abdi praised his co-star Tom Hanks, saying that the established actor "helped with whatever obstacle I faced".

The Somalian actor thanked director Paul Greengrass for "believing in me before I believed in myself". After completing work on Captain Phillips, Abdi reportedly took a day job in a phone shop as he found it difficult to secure further roles.

Watch Chiwetel Ejiofor talk about '12 Years a Slave'