Liberace film Behind the Candelabra leads Golden Globe TV nominations with four nods

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

HBO’s film about gay pianist Liberace and its cast, are leading the nominations for the TV categories of the Golden Globes with four nods.

The nominations for the 71st Golden Globes were announced yesterday by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which included nominations for Best Mini-Series or Motion PIcture Made For Television.

Three other nominations went to Rob Lowe, Matt Damon and Michael Douglas, who were all featured in the film.

Orange is the New Black, which has been commended for its portrayal of a trans character, was also recognised.

Winners will be announced on 12 January.

The film earlier this year won three Emmys, including one for best TV movie. Sir Elton John paid homage to Liberace at the Primetime Emmy Awards in a special performance in September.

In January, Steven Soderburgh said Behind the Candelabra was turned down by the big Hollywood studios for being “too gay.”

It didn’t get a screen run in the US but was shown at cinemas across the UK and in other countries.

When the film debuted on HBO in May, it achieved the highest ratings for a TV film in the US since 2004.

Executive producer Jerry Weintraub said in June: “We had three and a half million homes just on Sunday night (when the film was broadcast on HBO in America) and that’s without the TEVO-ing. When we’re finished, God knows how many millions of people will see this film and that’s what we wanted. That’s why we made it.”