British actress Kate Winslet holds the Oscar for best actress for her work in 'The Reader' during the 81st Academy Awards Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.[Matt Sayles/CCTV/AP Photo]

After 5 failures, Kate Winslet finally won her first Best Actress Award. She played as a former Nazi prison guard who involves herself in a love affair with a teenage boy in "The Reader."

Kate Winslet, Best Actress Award Winner, said, "I've been longing to get this. This is not a shampoon bottle anymore."

And veteran Sean Penn earned his second Oscar for best actor, portraying slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk in the biography film "Milk."

Early honors went to Penelope Cruz. She became the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award for her supporting role in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Heath Ledger was posthumously named best supporting actor for his villainous role as The Joker in Batman movie "The Dark Knight."

In the night's one big surprise, Japanese movie "Departures" beat the favorite, Israeli film "Waltz With Bashir" for best foreign language film.