As expected, Jared Leto won the best supporting actor Oscar Sunday (2 March) for his acclaimed performance of a transgender woman with AIDS in Dallas Buyers Club.

The awards season front-runner took the stage and accepted his Oscar from presenter Anne Hathaway and said: ‘Incredible.’

Leto, who was accompanied to the Oscars by his mother and brother, paid tribute to his mom.

‘She encouraged her kids to be creative and to work hard and to do something special,’ he said. ‘I love you mom and thank you for teaching me to dream.’

He added: ‘To all the dreamers out there in the world watching this tonight in places like Ukraine and Venezuela, we are here, as you struggle to make your dreams happen and do the impossible, we are thinking of you tonight.’

Leto also dedicated the prize to ‘the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS and those of you out there who have ever felt injustice for who you are and who you love, tonight I stand here with you and for you.’

Leto won over Bradley Cooper for American Hustle, Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave, Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips and Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street.

‘To my fellow nominees, I’m so proud to share this journey with you,’ he said. ‘I’m in awe and have so much respect for you all.’

Dallas Buyers Club was Leto’s first film in six years.

Leto told ABC on the red carpet how rewarding it has been ‘to return with so much love and support.’

Although he has not been making films, Leto has been busy as lead singer of the hugely successful band 30 Seconds to Mars.

He had previously starred in such films as Alexander, Requiem for a Dream, Prefontaine and Fight Club.