In a surprise turn of events, Anthony Hopkins won the Best Lead Actor Oscar on Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony. The favourite to win the award had been the late Chadwick Boseman.

Anthony Hopkins took to Instagram yesterday to share his acceptance speech as he had been unable to attend the ceremony.

Speaking from his home in Wales, the actor paid tribute to Boseman and said: "thank you all very much. I really did not expect this, so I feel very privileged and honoured."

Anthony Hopkins is now the oldest-ever acting Oscar winner.

He won the award for his performance in 'The Father' as an elderly man with dementia.

Fellow Oscar winner Olivia Colman plays his daughter in the movie, and according to reports, she was meant to accept the Oscar on his behalf on Sunday night from London.

However, Joaquin Phoenix, who presented the award, after announcing Hopkins' name, said: "The Academy congratulates Anthony Hopkins and accepts the Oscar on his behalf. Thank you."

The awards ceremony was then promptly and rather anti-climatically concluded.

Reportedly the reason for the dash was that the ceremony had run overtime.

It's a shame too because if Colman's acceptance speech for her own Oscar for 'The Favourite' is anything to go on, she would've spoken some great, witty words on behalf of her co-star.

There's also this gem from the year after.

Anthony Hopkins previously won the Best Actor Oscar for 'Silence of the Lambs' in 1992.

'The Father' is currently unavailable to rent in Ireland.