Actor Robert Downey Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randloph won the Oscars for best supporting actor and actress, respectively, at the 96th Oscars in Los Angeles on Monday (IST).

Downey won the Oscar for his performance in Christopher Nolan’s Openheimer. It is his first Oscar win after three nominations over the years and adds to his earlier wins at the Golden Globes, Critic’s Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and BAFTA Film Awards.

In a characteristic display of wit, Downey kicked off his acceptance speech by humorously alluding to his tumultuous past: “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy — in that order.” The actor then playfully credited his wife, Susan Downey, stating, “I’d like to thank my veterinarian — I meant wife, Susan Downey over there. She found me a snarling rescue pet and you loved me back to life. That’s why I’m here.”

Facing tough competition, Downey emerged victorious over esteemed actors such as Robert De Niro for Killers of the Flower Moon, Mark Ruffalo in Poor Things, Sterling K. Brown in American Fiction and Ryan Gosling for Barbie.

Downey’s initial nomination dates back to 1992 for portraying Charlie Chaplin in Richard Attenborough’s Chaplin. Sixteen years later, he secured his second Academy Award nomination for his role in Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph clinched the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her compelling portrayal of the grieving mother Mary Lamb in the boarding school drama The Holdovers. In her acceptance speech, Randolph emotionally shared her journey from being a singer to finding her true calling in the theater department. “For so long, I have always wanted to be different and now I realize I just needed to be myself, and I thank you for seeing me,” she said.

While this marks Randolph's first Oscar, she had previous wins at the Golden Globe, Critics Choice Award, BAFTA and SAG Award for her role as the cafeteria manager at the New England school.