Michael B. Jordan wins Best Actor Oscar for Sinners

Michael B. Jordan has won Best Actor at the 98th Academy Awards for his work in Ryan Coogler's vampire horror Sinners. It's his first Oscar nomination – and his first win.

Jordan pulled double duty in the film, playing twin brothers Smoke and Stack, two 1930s gangsters who return to their hometown after working for organized crime in Chicago. Sinners set a record this year with 16 nominations, and by the time Best Actor was announced, it had already picked up three wins: Best Score, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography – the last of which made history, as Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman ever to win in that category.

In his acceptance speech, Jordan gave generous credit to Coogler and his fellow cast members, with a special shoutout to Wunmi Mosaku, who played Annie, Smoke's estranged wife. "I stand here because of people that came before me," Jordan said, citing previous Black Oscar winners including Denzel Washington, Will Smith, and Sidney Poitier. "Thank you for keeping betting on me," he concluded.

The other nominees in the category were Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.

Jordan and Coogler go back a long way – the actor previously starred in Black Panther and the Creed trilogy under the director's guidance.