Jean Dujardin Academy Awards 2012 Best Actor Winner

C'est incroyable! Jean Dujardin won Best Actor at the 84th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night for his charming lead role in "The Artist."

"I love your country," the handsome Frenchman said while accepting his trophy. He had previously won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA and Independent Spirit awards. He's the first French-born actor to win the award.

In the Best Picture-favorite, Dujardin played George Valentin, a silent film star coming to terms with his seeming irrelevance at the dawn of talkies. The nearly silent performance -- Dujardin utters only one phrase, at the film's end -- required the 39-year-old star not only to affect the acting style of silent film stars like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin but also to tap dance.

Dujardin's biggest competition for the award came from George Clooney, who played a downtrodden dad in "The Descendants." Other nominees in the category included Brad Pitt ("Moneyball"), Gary Oldman ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy") and Demian Bichir ("A Better Life").

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CORRECTION: An earlier version stated that Dujardin was the second French-born actor to win an Oscar; he's actually the fifth, but first male to do so.

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Comments

[M mmmm]

10:04 PM on 02/28/2012

I have to say, Jean WOULD be an impressive success in the United States, should he choose to do so.....

[jaqe]

08:44 PM on 02/28/2012

I really wanted George to win but must admit--I have fallen a bit in love with the charming frenchman:))

[DeloresT]

07:40 PM on 02/28/2012

The Academy should give an Oscar to the best foreign actor & actress in a film. I tune in to watch my favorite American actors win. I don't think that just because something or someone is French or Australian, etc. that they are better.....but throughout the years, it seems that Oscar voters believe that.

[AprilinDenver]

06:35 PM on 02/28/2012

I admit it was a tough decision between Clooney's performance and Dujardin--but Dujardin was so adept in establishing his character, taking us with him in his ups (the first picture where he receives his accolades) to his downs (where he attepts suicide), through his auction of his belongings to when he discovers his belongings--very complex portrayal all DONE WITHOUT SPEAKING! Truly amazing. Clooney-well, he sort of played himself, although the story was good, not as complex a character but good.

[Lauren Kottwitz]

03:30 PM on 02/28/2012

That man is so handsome. And charming. And talented. And he's so FRENCH. Makes my toes curl... le sigh.

[jaqe]

08:47 PM on 02/28/2012

Yea- him and Gilles Marini--those french men are just tooooo much

[navyvet55]

11:21 AM on 02/28/2012

Watch Jean Dujardin in the OSS 117 movies...a French spoof of spy movies....very funny...

[Hajnal]

01:36 AM on 02/28/2012

Feeling better after your little fit of sanctimonious fake outrage?

Yankeetrash.

[jaqe]

08:50 PM on 02/28/2012

amen--if you cant handle it then you better not ever watch another TV/picture show--geeze-- just way to many people now days who want to tell all of us how to live--

[Angrygrrl]

02:02 PM on 02/28/2012

What did he say...I only heard Victoire..formidable..génial...what did YOU hear?

[Jced]

06:29 PM on 02/27/2012

OOOOOH LA LA !!!!!! ;)

[dorzic]

04:47 PM on 02/27/2012

Jane Wyman, Sir John Mills and Holly Hunter all did it in less than 3 words #oscars

[marignymitch]

03:48 PM on 02/27/2012

Wiping the smug off Clooney's face? Priceless. You go, Mr Dujardin!

[navyvet55]

11:22 AM on 02/28/2012

I know this is a political site, but really.....try again...maybe say something nice about the French....

[DMohr]

03:45 PM on 02/27/2012

IMHO, Dujardin's winning the Best Actor Oscar was the biggest surprise of the entire ceremony yesterday. It was somewhat surprising to see Streep win Best Actress instead of Viola Davis, but Streep is already Hollywood royalty; and I thought that Clooney was a lock to take Best Actor. It seems possible that Clooney and Pitt, two Hollywood A-list heartthrobs, cancelled each other out? Whatever the case, congratulations, Mr. Dujardin, you were absolutely wonderful in your movie, a complete joy to watch.

[rambot02]

03:29 PM on 02/27/2012

Félicitations, M. Dujardin. Merci beaucoup pour votre belle exécution.

=^. .^=

[ComedyFan]

08:06 PM on 02/27/2012

Show off. ; )

[rambot02]

08:51 PM on 02/27/2012

I needed a language translation program. ;^}

[jaqe]

08:52 PM on 02/28/2012

wish I could do that--its such a beautiful language:) congrats. to the frenchman-I hope to see more of him on the big screen

[aphextwin07]

01:53 PM on 02/27/2012

so either these awards are a complete joke as usual or it was all hype that Gary Oldman gave the best performance of his career in Tinker Tailor. my inclination is to go with the former on that one.

[gourgandine]

01:25 PM on 02/27/2012

Well, he is not the only Frenchy who likes your country, and I never got an Oscar :))
Do you know that in France, people (intellectual boring critics) who loved the movie first, are now saying that Mr Weinstein is the reason why The Artist won ....No man is a prophet in his own country ! Thank you !

[Daniel W]

01:31 PM on 02/27/2012

That sucks, man.

[suntzu]

01:24 PM on 02/27/2012

Dujardin reminds me a little bit of old time French actor Charles Boyer, in terms of his accent, charm and savoir faire. Some of you may remember Boyer with Ingrid Bergman as her murderous husband in Gaslight. But I'm afraid saying that gives me away as an old geezer,lol.

[Jced]

06:29 PM on 02/27/2012

I just assumed that you watch TCM!!! ;)