Oscars 2015: Julianne Moore wins for lead actress

Feb 22, 2015 | 9:13 PM

Oscars 2015: Julianne Moore wins for lead actress — Julianne Moore, arriving at the Academy Awards in Hollywood on Sunday, wins the lead actress trophy for her role in "Still Alice." (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Julianne Moore won her first Academy Award for lead actress Sunday for her performance as a professor grappling with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in “Still Alice.”

"I read an article that said that winning an Oscar could lead to living five years longer. If that's true, I'd really like to thank the academy because my husband is younger than me," Moore joked in her acceptance speech.

She went on to thank her fellow nominees, noting, "There's no such thing as best actress." She thanked her family, manager, costars and Sony Pictures Classics.

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The Oscar comes on the heels of Moore’s Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards this year. Her moving performance had received rave reviews, making her a front-runner in the category.

"I'm thrilled actually that we were able hopefully to shine a light on Alzheimer's disease," Moore said in her speech. "So many people with this disease feel isolated and marginalized ... people with Alzheimer's deserve to be seen so we can find a cure."

Moore's previous Oscars nods include roles in “Boogie Nights” and “The End of the Affair.” In 2003 she was the ninth person in academy history to receive two acting nominations in the same year: lead actress for “Far From Heaven” (Nicole Kidman won for "The Hours") and supporting actress for “The Hours” (Catherine Zeta-Jones won for "Chicago.")

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Though this is her first Oscar, Moore has won three Golden Globes, two SAG Awards and one Emmy.

Moore faced fierce competition in the category from Reese Witherspoon for her performance as Cheryl Strayed in "Wild," Felicity Jones for her performance as Jane Wilde-Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," Rosamund Pike for her performance as Amy Dunne in "Gone Girl" and Marion Cotillard for her performance as a working-class mother lobbying to keep her job in "Two Days, One Night."

The 87th Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theatre.