Cillian Murphy wins his first best actor Oscar for role in ‘Oppenheimer’ biopic

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.
AP Entertainment Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Cillian Murphy came away from the Academy Awards with his first Oscar, the best actor statuette for his role in “Oppenheimer.” Murphy portrayed the man who created the atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic. On Sunday, the first-time nominee bested Colman Domingo for “Rustin,” Bradley Cooper for “Maestro,” Paul Giamatti for “The Holdovers,” and Jeffrey Wright for “American Fiction.” Murphy called himself a “very proud Irishman” after he came onstage to claim his award. “Oppenheimer” tells the story of how J. Robert Oppenheimer and his peers at Los Alamos would test the bomb on July 16, 1945, not knowing what was going to happen, and the ensuing fallout.