Bond's toughest mission ... his first acting award

The Bond star won best actor for Casino Royale at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. Celebrating a vintage 12 months for British cinema, other winners included United 93, Dame Judi Dench and Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen.

News that Craig, 38, would become the sixth James Bond provoked a mixed reception from Bond fans when it was first announced. But with Casino Royale taking £55 million in Britain alone, the attention paid to Craig's performance has been overwhelmingly positive.

At the ceremony at the Ivy, Craig said he was delighted at being the first actor to win a major award for playing 007.

He said: "This is tremendous. It makes you think that the success of the film might not be a fluke. We wanted to make an exciting and sexy Bond and tell a good yarn at the same time."

Craig, who was accompanied by his girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell, added: "I don't know if I'm ever entirely happy with my performances but I'm happy with the way this turned out."

Commenting on the next Bond film due next year, Craig said: "We made the first one good and we've got to make the second one even better."

Dame Judi Dench - M in Casino Royale - held off a strong challenge from Dame Helen Mirren as The Queen to win best actress for her performance as a stalking teacher in Richard Eyre's Notes On A Scandal.

Collecting the award on behalf of Oscar-nominated Dame Judi, 72, the film's producer Robert Fox joked: "Judi asked me to say this is for all cat-loving lesbians."

Best film went to United 93, about the hijacked September 11 plane whose passengers fought back, which was made by UK film company Working Title and directed by Paul Greengrass.

He said: "It's been a fine year for British films and I'm glad to be part of it. We go to the cinema to be entertained but everybody knows for cinema to be alive, it has to engage with what is going on in the world and United 93 is one of those films that does this."

Following his Golden Globe victory last month, Sacha Baron Cohen won the Peter Sellers award for comedy for his hit creation Borat.

Director Stephen Frears won the Alexander Walker special award for his contribution to British film. His credits include My Beautiful Launderette and Dangerous Liaisons in the Eighties, The Grifters and Mary Reilly in the Nineties and The Queen, for which he is nominated for an Oscar.

Frears said: "There's been no plan. I'm just drawn to interesting scripts and making films which entertain people."

Peter Morgan won best screenplay for The Queen and The Last King Of Scotland, just two months after his play Frost/Nixon won the editor's award at the Standard Theatre Awards.

Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle won the technical achievement award for The Last King Of Scotland and Brothers Of The Head.

Writer-director Paul Andrew Williams was most promising newcomer for his debut London To Brighton, which he made for £80,000.

He said: "It's less than 18 months since we made London To Brighton and I had no idea this would ever happen."

The Evening Standard British Film Award winners

Best film: United 93
Best actor: Daniel Craig, Casino Royale
Best actress: Judi Dench, Notes On A Scandal
The Peter Sellers award for comedy: Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan
Best screenplay: Peter Morgan, The Queen and The Last King Of Scotland
Technical achievement: Anthony Dod Mantle for his cinematography on The Last King Of Scotland and Brothers Of The Head
Most promising newcomer: Paul Andrew Williams for his direction of London To Brighton
The Alexander Walker special award: Stephen Frears for making British film reverberate around the world