Actor takes home golden trophy for Best Supporting Actor for “Beginners”

Feb 27, 2012 08:19 GMT  ·  By

Christopher Plummer has officially become the oldest actor to win an Oscar: at 82, he received his first ever Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the indie drama “Beginners.”

You can see his entire acceptance speech below, embedded at the end of the article.

Though any other man who had worked in the industry steadily for the past 60 years as Mr. Plummer has would have probably hogged the spotlight, he kept it very simple and efficient.

If anything, his speech was the perfect example of Hollywood class, in that the legendary actor, who plays a dying man who comes out in the last months of his life in “Beginners,” remembered to thank all the right people, while also showing enough modesty.

He also found time to include some funny bits in his acceptance speech.

“You’re only two years older than me darling, where have you been all my life?” he began, holding the statuette and looking straight at it.

He also joked that he had been rehearsing his acceptance speech ever since he came out of his mother's womb, adding that audiences were lucky enough he'd forgotten it by the time he actually won.

However, he stressed, he didn't forget the people he had to thank for helping him achieve such huge honor as that of winning an Academy Award.

“I have to thank my fellow nominees, Kenneth, Jonah, Nick, Max… I’m so proud to be in your company… I wouldn’t be here without Mike Mills… Ewan McGregor, that superb artist, who I would share this award with if I had any decency, which I don’t,” Mr. Plummer said, smiling.

He didn't forget to include his family either.

“And finally, my long suffering wife Elaine, who deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day of my life,” the actor said.

In winning the Oscar, Christopher Plummer becomes the oldest actor to get the distinction; the title was previously held by Clint Eastwood.