Martin Freeman: The Hobbit actor was named best hero, while Silver Linings Playbook continued its awards season domination with three wins (RADIO TIMES)

Susanna Lazarus
11:23 AM, 15 April 2013

He may play the sidekick to BBC's dynamic detective Sherlock, but Martin Freeman's Hollywood breakthrough as The Hobbit's Bilbo Baggins has won him an MTV Movie Award for best action hero. Voted for by fans on social media sites Twitter and Instagram, the star of the Lord of the Rings prequel (who was absent from the Californian ceremony) scored an impressive 1,637,179 votes, beating off competition from Snow White and The Huntsman's Kristen Stewart, Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), and Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man in The Avengers.

Another absentee on the night was Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence who landed the coveted prize for best female performance for her role in award-winning rom-com Silver Linings Playbook. The film also triumphed in the best kiss and best male performance categories which were accepted by Bradley Cooper – although his co-star's no-show was the subject of controversy throughout the evening. Officially put down to a "scheduling conflict", it saw MTV facing a last minute scramble to rearrange a planned sketch with host Rebel Wilson, with even the network's website admitting to an "audibly upset room" in reaction to Lawrence's absence.

READ MORE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-04-15/martin-freeman-emma-watson-and-jennifer-lawrence-take-home-top-prizes-at-the-mtv-movie-awards