Leonardo DiCaprio Finally Wins Best Actor at the Oscars for His Unforgettable Role in The Revenant

Actor was up against stiff competition including Eddie Redmayne, Matt Damon and Michael Fassbender

By Mike Vulpo Feb 29, 2016 5:01 AMTags
Leonardo DiCaprio, 2016 Oscars, Academy Awards, WinnerKevin Winter/Getty Images

It's finally time for Leonardo DiCaprio to shine!

After being nominated for six Oscars over his long, successful career, the actor picked up his first award from the Academy Sunday night for his role as frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant.

"Thank you all so very much. Thank you to the Academy, thank you to all of you in this room," he told the crowd after receiving a standing ovation. "To my parents, none of this would be possible without you. My friends, I love you dearly. You know who you are."

He later shared his views on climate change and expressed to viewers at home the importance of taking notice at the world around us.

"Climate change is real. It is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters, the big corporations, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world," he pleaded. "For the billions and billions of underprivileged people who will be most affected by this. For our children's children and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed." 

He concluded, "Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted." 

20th Century Fox

It's been nothing short of an incredible awards season for Leo who received his first big win at the Golden Globes. Ever since then, the actor has been unstoppable when it comes to picking up trophies.

"I am truly humbled by this as it comes from all of you, my fellow actors," he shared after accepting an award at the SAG Awards. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

He continued, "For any young actors out there I encourage you to study the history of cinema because as the history of cinema unfolds, we all stand on the shoulders of giants. So I want to thank all the actors in this room who made this possible."

As for the Hollywood community, we got a pretty clear sense that they were all rooting for Leo Sunday night.

After all, it's not everyday Lady Gaga, Adele and Lil Wayne all root for the same actor on social media hours before showtime.

Congratulations Leo!

Watch E!'s live 2016 Oscars red carpet coverage starting at 1:30p.m. ET/10:30a.m. PT on Sunday, February 28th