The Oscar battle for best picture was won by “The King’s Speech.” Acting honors went to Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Melissa Leo and Christian Bale.

LOS ANGELES, CA — The story of a king overcoming a speech impediment to lead his people through World War II took top honors at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

“The King’s Speech” won the best picture, best actor, best director and best original screenplay Oscars at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre Sunday night.
Natalie Portman, who played a ballet dancer in “Black Swan,” was given the best actress Academy Award. Portman also won Golden Globe and SAG best actress trophies in recent weeks.

When “King’s Speech” director Tom Hooper accepted the best director Oscar, he noted that it was his mother who found the script for him.

“The moral of this story is listen to your mother,” Hooper said.

“My father always said to me I would be a late bloomer,” Seidler said, “I hope that record is broken quickly and often.”

Colin Firth, who portrayed the stuttering King George VI in “The King’s Speech,” completed his sweep of best actor honors with the Oscar win.”I have a feeling my career has just peaked,” said Firth, who also won a Golden Globe and the SAG award.

Christian Bale repeated his Golden Globe and SAG award wins by taking the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in “The Fighter.”

Melissa Leo, who played the mother and manager of two boxers in “The Fighter,” completed her trifecta of major awards when 94-year-old Kirk Douglas handed her the best supporting actress Oscar. Leo also won Golden Globe and SAG best actress trophies.

“Inception,” a film that explores the human mind and dreams, won four Academy Awards, including for cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects. The film was also a best picture contender, although most of its eight nominations are in the technical categories.

Two awards went to “Toy Story 3” for animated feature film and best original song.

“The Lost Thing” won for short animated film.