Hollywood:

European actors scored a rare clean sweep of the Oscars’ top acting honours here on February 24 as American nominees were shut out of the awards for the first time in more than 40 years.

The best actor and actress and supporting acting Oscars will all be heading back across the Atlantic for the first time since 1965 after a night of triumph for Europe at the Kodak Theatre.

Leading the way was France’s Marion Cotillard, one of the night’s most popular winners for her portryal of singer Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. Cotillard, 32, became only the second woman in history to win the best actress award for a non-English speaking performance after Italy’s Sophia Loren in 1962.

“I’m speechless now... I thank you life, thank you love and — it is true, there is some angels in this city. Thank you so, so much,” Cotillard said in her acceptance speech.

Ireland’s best actor winner Daniel Day-Lewis meanwhile paid tribute to an American icon — George Clooney — after picking

up the second Oscar statuette of his career. The 50-year-old British born star even planted a kiss on Clooney’s cheek as he rose to collect his award.

“He’s just a great guy. I had to kiss someone. I kissed my wife, and in the interest of parity, I kissed George,” Day-Lewis said.

Earlier, Javier Bardem had scored a historic first for Spain, becoming the first performer from his country to win an acting Oscar. The 38-year-old won the best supporting actor award for his turn as a psychopathic hitman in the night’s best picture winner No Country for Old Men.

“This is pretty amazing. It’s a great honour for me to have this,” Bardem said, paying tribute to directors Joel and Ethan Coen. “Thank you to the Coens for being crazy enough to think I could do that and put one of the most horrible hair cuts in history on my head,” he added.

Rounding out the quartet of European winners was Scot Tilda Swinton, who won the best supporting actress award for her portrayal of a scheming corporate litigator in Michael Clayton. Asked about the number of European winners, Swinton replied, “Dude, Hollywood is built on Europeans. I’m just really said I couldn’t give a speech in Gaelic, but if I could, I would have.”

Meanwhile Swinton, 47, said she would be keen to play a comedy role. “I think everything I do is hilarious, but obviously I’m in the minority, but I’m getting there,” she said.

The winners are:

Actor (male): Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Actor (female): Marion

Cotillard, La Vie En Rose

Actor in supporting role (male): Javier Bardem,

No Country for Old Men

Actor in supporting role

(female): Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Director: Coen brothers,

No Country for Old Men

Film: No Country for Old Men (Ethan and Joel Coen,

Scott Rudin)

Adapted screenplay: No

Country for Old Men

(Coen brothers)

Costume design: Elizabeth:

The Golden Age

Animated film: Ratatouille

Screenplay: Diablo Cody, Juno

Documentary: Alex Gibney

and Eva Orner, Taxi to the Dark Side

Cinematography: Robert

Elswit, There Will Be Blood

Foreign film: The Counterfeiters (Fälscher, Die Wins) from Austria