Brendan Fraser wins Best Actor Oscar for The Whale

Actor starred in Darren Aronofsky’s controversial drama

Monday 13 March 2023 03:42 GMT

Oscars audience sings Happy Birthday to An Irish Goodbye star James Martin

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Brendan Fraser has won Best Actor at the 2023 Academy Awards for his role in The Whale.

He beat fellow nominees Austin Butler (Elvis), Colin Farrell (The Banshees of Inisherin), Bill Nighy (Living) and Paul Mescal (Aftersun) to the award.

Accepting the award, a visibly emotional Fraser said: “So this is what the multiverse looks like. I thank the Academy for this honour, and to our studio A24 for making such a bold film.

“Gentlemen, you laid your whale-sized hearts bare so we could see into your souls, and it is my honour to be nominated alongside you in this category.”

You can keep up to date with the latest Oscar developments in our dedicated liveblog.

Ahead of the ceremony, Fraser had been the bookmakers’ favourite, for his role in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, playing an obese man struggling with grief. Butler was also tipped to be a strong contender, having played Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic opposite Tom Hanks.

Farrell was also given an outside chance, for his role as a man whose life is upended when his friend (Brendan Gleeson) starts ignoring him in Irish black comedy The Banshees of Inisherin.

The Oscars took place on Sunday night (12 March) at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Brendan Fraser accepts the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for ‘The Whale' (AFP via Getty Images)

Over the night, multiverse comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once took home a number of the biggest awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress.

Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian star to win in the category, and only the second woman of colour to do so.

Elsewhere on the night, Colin Farrell had an unscripted dig at Saturday Night Live, over its controversial sketch last night.

Hugh Grant, meanwhile sparked mixed reactions among viewers with an “awkward” interview conducted on the red carpet.