Simon Baker honoured with the AACTA Trailblazer Award
But it's his wife he wanted to praise during his emotional acceptance speech.
Hollywood star Simon Baker and his wife Rebecca Rigg have been a great double act since their early marriage - he was only 21 when they met - and the birth of their three children.
And it was no exception when the couple - who celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary next year - walked the red carpet together at the 7th AACTA Awards, the Australian film and TV industry’s night of nights.
Getty
Aussie-born Baker, globally famous for long-running US TV series The Guardian and The Mentalist, was honoured with the AACTA Trailblazer Award, acknowledging his contribution to promoting Australian screen culture and excellence at home and abroad.
But the 48-year-old was keener to praise his wife’s role in his global success than soak up plaudits for himself. “I’m the front man, babe, but you are the rock and rhythm section, and you know that,” he said in his emotional acceptance speech at Sydney’s Star Casino, and at the following press conference.
“In our relationship, when we had our first child, it was all just, ‘Why not? Let’s just try it,’” he explained. “It wasn’t necessarily something we spoke about, but that’s always been our attitude.”
See the full AACTA Awards red carpet gallery here.
