Cillian Murphy dedicates Best Actor Oscar to "peacemakers everywhere"

He also thanked 'Oppenheimer' director Christopher Nolan and producer Emma Thomas: "It's been the wildest, most exhilarating, most creatively satisfying journey you've taken me on for the last 20 years; I owe you more than I can say."

To all the cast and crew, he added, "You guys carried me through."

In closing, Murphy said, "We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or for worse, we're all living in Oppenheimer's world, so I'd really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere," as per Deadline.

Murphy triumphed over Bradley Cooper (Maestro), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers) and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction).

'Oppenheimer' also won the awards for Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Directing and Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards.

Earlier, Murphy won the Best Actor award for 'Oppenheimer' at the BAFTA Awards 2024 and Golden Globe Awards 2024.

The biopic, set during World War II, follows Oppenheimer, known as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb," during a period in history when he understood that testing the atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere and destroy the world, yet he pushed the button anyway.

'Oppenheimer' is played by Cillian Murphy, who is securing the lead for the first time in a Christopher Nolan film. Having previously starred in 'Inception,' 'Batman Begins,' 'The Dark Knight,' 'The Dark Knight Rises,' and 'Dunkirk,' Murphy has been a mainstay in many of Nolan's movies.

The star-studded cast includes Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Benny Safdie, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, Josh Peck, Jason Clarke, David Dastmalchian, Alex Wolff, James D'Arcy, and many others. Florence Pugh plays Jean Tatlock, Emily Blunt plays Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. plays Lewis Strauss and Matt Damon. (ANI)