Julianne Moore won Best Actress at the 2015 Oscars. She won her gong for the lead role in Still Alice, in which she plays Dr. Alice Howland, a woman struggling with Alzheimer’s.

She fended off fierce competition from Marion Cotillard (Sandra Bya in Two Days, One Night), Felicity Jones (Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything), Rosamund Pike (Amy Elliott-Dunne in Gone Girl) and Reese Witherspoon (Cheryl Strayed in Wild).

Still Alice
Julianne Moore won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of an Alzheimer's sufferer in 'Still Alice'

Accepting the award from previous Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey, Moore was effusive in her thanks but stated that there was no such thing as ‘Best Actress’, an honest acknowledgment of her rivals for the prize.

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Moore had admittedly been the strong favourite for the prize, having won the equivalent awards at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. It was the only nomination for the film in the entire ceremony. It is directed by Richard Glatzer and his partner Wash Westmoreland, and has been well-received by just about everybody.

Still Alice is yet to be released in the United Kingdom, with a date set of February 26th for preview screenings.

It was a happy occasion for Moore, who had previously been nominated for Boogie Nights, The End of The Affair, The Hours and Far From Heaven but had never won the overall prize. Next up for her is a key role in the final instalment of The Hunger Games franchise, which is due to be released later this year.

The 87th Academy Awards ceremony was broadcast live on ABC, and was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

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