Kate Winslet Wins First Career Oscar

First Published: February 23, 2009 2:23 AM EST Credit: Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Kate Winslet speaks on stage after winning the Best Actress award for ‘The Reader’ during the 81st Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on February 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaAfter six nominations, British actress Kate Winslet finally picked up her first Academy Award on Sunday night.

Kate won the Oscar for Best Actress for playing Hanna Schmitz in “The Reader,” and she took the stage composed and poised.

“I’d be lying if I haven’t made a version of this speech before,” Kate said as she picked up her Oscar. “I think I was probably eight years old and staring in the bathroom mirror. This was probably the shampoo bottle. Well it’s not a shampoo bottle now. I feel very fortunate to have made it all the way from there to here.”

Kate thanked a host of people for her win, but gave a special mention to her parents, Roger and Sally, who were seated in the audience of the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.

“I’d like to thank some of the people along the way who had faith in me, my friends and my family, especially my mum and my dad, who are in this room. Dad, whistle or something ‘cause then I’ll know where you are,” Kate said as she stood on the podium as a high-pitched sound came from the audience.

“Yeahhhh!” Kate screamed as she waved to her proud father, who grinned happily, at his 33-year-old daughter on stage.

Kate continued on, thanking her husband, Director Sam Mendes, and children, before calling out the other women nominated in her category.

“I want to acknowledge my fellow nominees, these goddesses,” she said. “I think we all can’t believe we were nominated with Meryl Streep at all.”

Kate’s Oscar win for “The Reader” comes on the heels of several other accolades for the part, including the Best Leading Actress BAFTA, Best Supporting Actress at the Critics Choice Awards and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role at the Golden Globes.

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