Oscars 2017: Viola Davis' VERY tearful speech runs overtime as she finally wins for Fences
VIOLA DAVIS broke down after being named the Best Supporting Actress at the 89th Academy Awards in Hollywood today.
Oscars 2017 Viola Davis Fences speech
Viola Davis gives emotional Oscars acceptance speech
The film star received a standing ovation after she clinched the gong for her role in Fences.
The 51-year-old, who has been nominated twice before for Doubt and The Help, is thought to have run over by two minutes while at the podium.
Holding her gold statue, a tearful Viola said: "There is one place that only people with the great potential are gathered and that is the graveyard.
"People ask me all the time, 'What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say exhume those bodies, exhume those stories, of people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition, people who fell in love and lost."
Oscars 2017: Viola Davis was named Best Supporting Actress today
Oscars 2017: Viola Davis gushed about Denzel Washington during her speech
We are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life!
Viola continued: "I became an artist and thank god I did because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life."
Paying tribute to her co-star and director Denzel Washington, the actress went on: "Oh captain, my captain, Denzel Washington, thank you for putting two entities in the driving seat, August Wilson and God, they served me well."
Viola had looked stunning in a red gown for the evening, which came complete with a floor-sweeping hem and off-the-shoulder detailing.
Oscars 2017: Viola Davis wowed in a red gown
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Oscars 2017: Mahershala Ali won for Moonlight
Meanwhile, Mahershala Ali later made Oscar history after becoming the first Muslim actor to win an Academy Award.
The 43-year-old American was named best supporting actor for his performance in coming-of-age drama Moonlight.
During his acceptance speech, Ali did not mention US president Donald Trump's travel ban and instead paid tribute to his wife Amatus Sami-Karim, who had given birth to their first child four days earlier.