'Oppenheimer' rules Oscars with 7 wins

LOS ANGELES - "Oppenheimer," the blockbuster biopic about the race to build the first atomic bomb, claimed seven Academy Awards, including the prestigious Best Picture trophy on Sunday, as Hollywood celebrated a triumphant year in film.

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Irish actor Cillian Murphy won best actor for playing theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, leader of the US effort in the 1940s to create a weapon that ended World War II.

"Oppenheimer" director Christopher Nolan took home the directing Oscar.

"We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or worse we are living in Oppenheimer’s world,” Murphy said as he held his trophy on stage.

“So I would really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.”

A three-hour historical drama about science and politics, “Oppenheimer” became an unlikely box office hit and grossed $953.8 million, in addition to widespread critical praise.

It was the first of Nolan’s films to win best picture. The director has previously won acclaim for “The Dark Knight” Batman trilogy, “Inception,” “Memento” and other movies.

As he accepted his gold statuette, Nolan noted that the movie business was a century old and still evolving.“To know you think I’m a meaningful part of this means the world to me,” he said.

Emma Stone was named best actress for playing a woman revived from the dead in the dark and wacky comedy “Poor Things.” It was the second Academy Award for Stone, who landed the best actress honor for 2016 musical “La La Land.”

“This is really overwhelming,” she said on stage.

The best actress race had been considered one of the tightest competitions with Lily Gladstone nominated for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Had she prevailed, Gladstone would have been the first Native American to win an acting Oscar.