Clive Owen won a Bafta on Saturday for his role in the film Closer — the first acting gong at the awards in more than 30 years for a production made at Elstree Studios.

Owen picked up the award for best actor in a supporting role for his performance alongside Jude Law and Julia Roberts in the movie, filmed at Elstree between July and December last year.

Now the studios are hoping he can go on to pick up an Oscar for the same performance at next Sunday's Academy Awards in Hollywood.

His co-star Natalie Portman is also up for an Oscar for her role in the film — but she would seem less likely to win after being nominated for a Bafta, but losing out to Cate Blanchett.

Owen lives in Muswell Hill and his acting honour at the Baftas represented the first acting success for Elstree since John Gielgud and Ingrid Bergman won best supporting actor awards for Murder on the Orient Express in 1974.

The studio's last non-acting Bafta was for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which won the award for Best Special Effects in 1989.

Bergman won the last acting Oscar for a film made at Elstree, also for Murder on the Orient Express, in 1975, while the last Oscar of any kind was for best sound effects on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989.

Julie Wicks, director of production at the studios, described Owen's success as fantastic news' and said it was a terrific achievement' for everyone involved with the production at the world-famous site. She said: "I have worked here for seven years and we've won television Baftas for Who Wants to be a Millionaire and The Tweenies, but Clive Owen's success really is absolutely fantastic news.

"He's a terrific actor who was a pleasure to work with and we are all hoping that he, and Natalie Portman, can also triumph at the Oscars."

Tommy Ibbotson, 84, of Woodlands Close, Borehamwood, was a storeman on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

He said: "That was a comical production to work on, particularly the scenes involving the rabbit, but we all felt a tremendous sense of achievement in winning the Bafta, and I'm sure that's the same for the production team on Closer."

Elstree has another big-budget feature film lined up for shooting between April and August this year. Details have been under wraps but it is understood to be a Second World War film including Hollywood actors.

• Elstree Studios could be in line for more awards next year due to the eagerly-anticipated release of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

The movie adaptation of the popular comedy sci-fi novel by Douglas Adams has won rave reviews at recent preview screenings in Los Angeles, with some pundits predicting it will be a runaway box off ice smash.

The film, which has spent 26 years in development, stars The Office's Martin Freeman as Arthur Dent, the last surviving human as he comes to terms with life in alien worlds.