Oscars 2019: Rami Malek wins Best Actor for Bohemian Rhapsody portrayal of Freddie Mercury

The actor thanked Freddie Mercury, his mother and girlfriend Lucy Boynton

Jacob Stolworthy

Monday 25 February 2019 04:45 GMT

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Oscars 2019: Olivia Colman wins actress in leading role

Rami Malek has won Best Actor at this year’s Oscars.

The 37-year-old actor won for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Malek saw off competition from A Star is Born‘s Bradley Cooper, Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate), Viggo Mortensen (Green Book) and Vice star Christian Bale.

Earlier in the evening, Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her role in The Favourite while Bohemian Rhapsody collected awards for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Editing. The Best Picture Oscar went to Green Book.

While the film was well received by audiences, it was mauled by critics. “This karaoke-style paean is all style, no soul,” said The Independent‘s critic Clarisse Loughrey.

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

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1/10Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Lafy Gaga and Bradley Cooper perform 'Shallow'

A Star is Born actors Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed their Oscar-winning song “Shallow” at this year’s Oscars ceremony and set social media alight.

Sky

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Rami Malek falls off stage

Best Actor winner Rami Malek caused concern when he fell off stage after accepting his award. He was later seen talking to medical staff but showed no signs of industry

Getty

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Olivia Colman’s Best Actress win is a joyful surprise

It’s a win that many hoped for, but one that not many genuinely expected. Colman beat frontrunner Glenn Close to Best Actress, delivering a delightful (and thoroughly English) acceptance speech to boot. “It’s genuinely quite stressful,” she said. “This is hilarious. I got an Oscar! Okay, I have to thank lots of people. If, by the way, I forget anybody, I’m going to find you later and give you all a massive snog.” - Clarisse Loughrey

AFP/Getty

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Spike Lee storms off

BlacKkKlansman director Spike Lee was visibly angry after learning that Green Book had won Best Picture at this year’s Oscars, saying “the ref made a bad call”. According to AP, Lee made his way to the building’s exit while the film’s producers were delivering their acceptance speeches, but was stopped by staff members.

AFP/Getty

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Green Book disappoints as Best Picture win

This year’s Academy Awards was a tale of two shocks: one pleasant, one dire. The latter arrived with the announcement that Green Book had beaten out the category’s frontrunner, Roma, to Best Picture. It was a dismal reminder that progress is a slow, tedious process. Had Roma prevailed it would have made history, becoming both the first foreign language film and the first film distributed by Netflix (or any other streaming service) to win Best Picture. - Clarisse Loughrey

AFP/Getty

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Melissa McCarthy's costume to present Best Costume Design

Reuters

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

...and Brian Tyree Henry's to join her

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Bohemian Rhapsody is ahead of the pack with four wins

Although Green Book walked away with Best Picture, the film with the most wins of the night was Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s news that will also come as a significant disappointment to many. Alongside three wins in the technical categories – for Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Editing – Rami Malek also picked up Best Actor for his role as Freddie Mercury. - Clarisse Loughrey

Getty

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

The Academy takes two steps forward for diversity, one step back

Four years on from the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, and two years since the Academy took steps to rectify its predominantly white, male demographic by inviting 774 new members, it’s clear that progress has been made. Regina King won Best Supporting Actress for her role in If Beale Street Could Talk, BlackKklansman director Spike Lee finally won an Oscar after decades of snubs, and Black Panther’s costume designer Ruth Carter, and its production designer Hannah Beachler, both became the first ever African American winners in their categories. - Alexandra Pollard

Getty

Biggest talking points of the Oscars

Richard E Grant wins hearts, even if he doesn't win awards

No one has enjoyed awards season more than Richard E Grant. The 62-year-old star of Can You Ever Forgive Me? was, in his own words, “granted temporary membership to the A-list fame club” after the role earned him an Oscar nomination. Given the adorable viral video he posted in reaction to the nod, the countless selfies with every Hollywood actor he comes across, and the interviews in which he’s grinning ear to ear, it’s clear Grant decided to grab the opportunity with both hands. He didn’t grab the Oscar, though. That honour, predictably, went to Mahershala Ali for his role in Green Book. Ali is brilliant, of course – but wouldn’t it have been wonderful if Grant had managed to pull off a surprise victory? This was his first ever nomination, 32 years after he was snubbed for his iconic role in Withnail and I, and he plays Jack Hock – the playful, conniving, antagonistic friend to Melissa McCarthy’s Lee Israel – like no one else could. -Alexandra Pollard

Reuters

Mike Myers – who appears in the film - dropped in to introduce the Best Picture nominee alongside Dana Carvey in a Wayne’s World reunion. The two actors used the Queen track “Bohemian Rhapsody” in the 1992 comedy.

Elsewhere, Green Book star Mahershala Ali won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor while Regina King won Best Supporting Actress for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk.

Marvel blockbuster Black Panther made history as Ruth Carter and Hannah Beachler became the first black winners in the category of Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, respectively.

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