Leonardo DiCaprio has finally won his first BAFTA Best Actor award tonight (February 14).
The 41-year-old collected the prestigious gong at London's Royal Opera House for his gripping portrayal of survivalist Hugh Glass in The Revenant - and, in a moving speech, thanked his mum Irmelin on her birthday.
"One person without whom I wouldn't be here today is my mother, and today is her birthday," said DiCaprio. "I did not grow up in privilege, I grew up in a very rough neighbourhood, and this person drove me three hours every day to show me a better life."
[Leonardo DiCaprio with his mum Irmelin at the 2014 Oscars]
DiCaprio's fourth BAFTA Award nomination proved a charm, with the actor having lost out in previous years for The Aviator, The Departed and The Wolf of Wall Street.
He also paid tribute to a host of British stars past and present, from Tom Courtenay through to his Revenant co-star Tom Hardy.
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"I am absolutely humbled and absolutely honoured by this award tonight. I've been so influenced by British actors over the year. I remember watching Tom Courtenay in The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner, all the way to Gary OIdman in State Of Grace, and of course, the late, great Peter O'Toole - and everything Daniel Day Lewis has ever done.
BAFTAs 2016: All the news, gossip, exclusives and red carpet photos from the annual film awards
"I want to thank one particular British actor, Tom Hardy. I want to thank you for your fierce loyalty, I could not have done this without you. I want to thank Chivo, the entire crew, the entire cast stood shoulder to shoulder through this process.
"And of course Alejandro – this film would not have been possible without your fierce commitment to authenticity every day, and thank you for becoming a real friend in this project."
With a Golden Globe Award also on his mantle this year, is the coveted Academy Award for Best Actor now a certainty?
DiCaprio's win for Best Actor came against Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Matt Damon (The Martian), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs) and Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl).
Stephen Fry hosted the 69th British Academy Film Awards in London.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
