Julianne Moore best actress
Julianne Moore won the coveted best actress award at the 2015 Oscars. Reuters

Julianne Moore won best actress at the 87th annual Academy Awards on Feb. 22. The actress, 54, won the 2015 Oscar for her role in the drama “Still Alice,” where she played the title character, a woman suffering from early onset Alzheimer's disease.

“Thank you so much. I read an article that said that winning an Oscar could lead to living five years longer. If that’s true, I’d really like to thank the Academy because my husband is younger than me," Moore joked. "There is no such thing as best actress as is evidenced by the performances of fellow nominees. I’ve been honored to be among you every step of the way.”

In addition to thanking her family and the team behind the movie, Moore mentioned that she was excited to be part of a film that shed light on an important topic. “I’m so happy -- I’m thrilled actually -- that we were able to hopefully shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease,” the actress said. “So many people with this disease feel isolated and marginalized, and one of the wonderful things about movies is it makes us feel seen and not alone. And people with Alzheimer’s deserve to be seen, so we can find a cure.”

Moore had some heavy competition for the statue. Also nominated for best actress were Marion Cotillard for “Two Days, One Night,” Felicity Jones for "The Theory of Everything," Rosamund Pike for "Gone Girl," and Reese Witherspoon for "Wild."

The best actress statue is the only award “Still Alice” picked up at the 2015 Oscars because it was the only category in which the film was nominated. Despite a lack of overall nominations, Moore was widely predicted to win the award after she won best actress at the SAG Awards, Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards.

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