IMAGE: The World's Best Actor - Kiwi Russell Crowe

Kiwi Actor Russell Crowe has won the Best Actor Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony held in Hollywood this afternoon. He won the coveted prize for his role as the gladiator Maximus in the block-buster movie of the same name.

Gladiator also won the best picture Oscar, while Julia Roberts won the best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Erin Brockovich.

The complete list of Oscar winners follows:

ART DIRECTION
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Tim Yip

ACTRESS -- SUPPORTING
Marcia Gay Harden
POLLOCK

FILM EDITING
TRAFFIC
Stephen Mirrione

SHORT -- LIVE ACTION
QUIERO SER
(I WANT TO BE...)
Florian Gallenberger

SHORT -- ANIMATED
FATHER AND DAUGHTER
Michael Dudok de Wit

COSTUME DESIGN
GLADIATOR
Janty Yates

ACTOR -- SUPPORTING
Benicio Del Toro
TRAFFIC

SOUND
GLADIATOR
Scott Millan
Bob Beemer
Ken Weston

SOUND EDITING
U-571
Jon Johnson

CINEMATOGRAPHY
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Peter Pau

MAKEUP
DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS
Rick Baker
Gail Ryan

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
BIG MAMA
Tracy Seretean DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
INTO THE ARMS OF STRANGERS: STORIES OF THE KINDERTRANSPORT
Mark Jonathan Harris
Deborah Oppenheimer

VISUAL EFFECTS
GLADIATOR
John Nelson
Neil Corbould
Tim Burke
Rob Harvey

MUSIC (SCORE)
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Tan Dun

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Ang Lee

MUSIC (SONG)
WONDER BOYS
"Things Have Changed"
Bob Dylan

ACTOR -- LEADING
Russell Crowe
GLADIATOR

ACTRESS -- LEADING
Julia Roberts
ERIN BROCKOVICH

WRITING (ADAPTED)
TRAFFIC
Stephen Gaghan

WRITING (ORIGINAL)
ALMOST FAMOUS
Cameron Crowe

DIRECTING
TRAFFIC
Steven Soderbergh

BEST PICTURE
GLADIATOR
Douglas Wick
David Franzoni
Branko Lustig

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Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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