Oscars 2020: Laura Dern bags Best Supporting Actress for 'Marriage Story', calls it 'best birthday gift'

This is Dern's first Academy Award win and third nomination. Mahershala Ali presented the award
Laura Dern (Getty)
Laura Dern (Getty)

Laura Dern has won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as a divorce lawyer, Nora Fanshaw, in 'Marriage Story'. The Academy Awards are being held at the Dolby Theatre this Sunday. This is Dern's first Academy Award win and third nomination. Mahershala Ali presented the award.

The film was directed by Noah Baumbach and also stars Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.

The nominations for the Best Supporting Actress category included Kathy Bates for 'Richard Jewell' as Barbara "Bobi" Jewell, Dern for 'Marriage Story' as Nora Fanshaw,
Scarlett Johansson for 'Jojo Rabbit' as Rosie Betzler, Florence Pugh for 'Little Women' as Amy March, and Margot Robbie for 'Bombshell' as Kayla Pospisil.

During the acceptance speech, Dern thanked director Baumbach as well as Greta Gerwig, who was noticeably absent from this year's nominations for Best Director. She also thanked her co-stars and the crew.

Dern expressed her gratitude towards Baumbach for making a film, "about love and about breaching divisions in the name and honor of family and home and hopefully for all of us in name of our planet ."

Dern also thanked her family and teared up during the acceptance speech while giving a special shoutout to her father Bruce Dern as well as her stepchildren. She also said the win was the "best birthday present". Dern turned 53 years old today.

Dern is the 82nd actress to win the award. Gale Sondergaard was the first winner in the category in 1937 during the 9th Academy Awards when she received a plaque. It was only from 1944 during the 16th ceremony that the Academy started giving full-sized statuettes for the category.

Last year, Regina King won for the category for her role as Sharon Rivers in 'If Beale Street Could Talk'.  

The 92nd Academy Awards are being held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

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