British actor Mark Rylance has won his first Oscar with best supporting actor for Cold War drama Bridge of Spies.
“It’s a wonderful time to be an actor and I’m proud to be part of it,” he told the audience at the 88th Academy Awards at LA’s Dolby Theatre.
Alicia Vikander won the best supporting actress Oscar for The Danish Girl.
Mad Max: Fury Road, which was nominated for 10 Oscars, has so far picked up six, including best costume design for British designer Jenny Beavan.
The ceremony is being boycotted by some Hollywood figures protesting about the lack of ethnic diversity among this year’s nominees. All 20 nominees in the best acting or supporting acting categories are white.
Host Chris Rock launched the show by addressing the race controversy head on.
He commented he had “counted at least 15 black people” in the montage that opened the ceremony, before welcoming people to the “white People’s Choice awards”.
“You realise if they nominated hosts, I wouldn’t even get this job,” he quipped. “Y’all would be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now.”
Rock added: “Everyone wants to know is Hollywood racist? You have to go at it the right way. Is it burning-cross racist? Fetch-me-some-lemonade racist? No.
“It’s a different kind of racist. Is Hollywood racist? You’re damn right it’s racist but it’s sorority racist.”
Swedish-born Vikander thanked her co-star, British actor Eddie Redmayne, and her parents, after winning her first Oscar, saying: “Eddie, thank you for being the best acting partner. I could never have done it without you. You raised my game.
“My mum and dad, thank you for giving me the belief that anything can happen – even though I would never have believed this.”
She had faced competition from Kate Winslet, Rooney Mara, Rachel McAdams and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Rylance, who won for his portrayal of Rudolf Abel, the real-life Soviet intelligence officer who was arrested in 1950s New York and prosecuted as a spy, said: “I’ve always just adored stories, hearing them, seeing them, being in them.
“So, for me to have the chance to work with one of the greatest storytellers of our time, Steven Spielberg, has just been such an honour.”
He beat off competition from Sylvester Stallone, Mark Ruffalo and fellow Brits Christian Bale and Tom Hardy.
Beavan, who had also picked up the Bafta in the same category, collected the award by saying: “What another lovely day!”
Wearing a leather jacket with rhinestone detail on the back and a striped scarf, she said: “It was a year of our lives in the Namibian desert, we had the most amazing crew.
“It was an incredible experience but it could be horribly prophetic, Mad Max, if we aren’t kinder to each other and don’t stop polluting our atmosphere. So, you know, it could happen.”
The film has also won Oscars for production design, make-up and hairstyling, film editing, sound editing and sound mixing.
Amy Winehouse documentary Amy won the best documentary feature Oscar for British filmmakers Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees.
Kapadia said of the late singer: “This film is about Amy and showing the world who she really was, not the tabloid persona. We just wanted to make a film to show the world who she really was.”
Gay-Rees added: “This is for the fans who loved her through thick and thin, that’s all she ever needed.”
Emmanuel Lubezki won his third Oscar for cinematography in a row, having won in 2015 for Birdman and 2014 for Gravity.
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