The long-anticipated Oscars released the winners on Sunday. It was a night filled with firsts, and an especially good night for the French.

Producer Thomas Langman, holds his Oscar for won best picture for his work in "The Artist" at the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 26, 2012.

"The Artist," a black and white homage to the early days of Hollywood, won five awards including best picture, director and lead actor. The best actress went to Meryl Streep. Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer won supporting actor and actress.

"The Artist", the black-and-white silent film about Hollywood's rocky transition to the "talkies," took the biggest honors at the 84th Academy Awards on Sunday night, including best picture, director and lead actor.

The Artist was the first silent film to nab best picture honors since the first Academy Awards were held in 1929. And for the first time in Academy Awards in history, a French actor and a French filmmaker took the academy's top acting and directing awards. When receiving the award, Jean Dujardin couldn't hide his extreme excitement.

Meryl Streep, Best Actress winner for "The Iron Lady" poses at the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 26, 2012.

The best lead actress goes to Meryl Streep for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady." She plays the feisty British leader both as a woman at the height of her powers in the 1980s, and as an old and lonely woman suffering from dementia in the present day.

It was Streep's third Oscar, and her first in 30 years.

The 82-year-old Christopher Plummer became the oldest acting winner ever.

He won the best supporting actor for his role as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in "Beginners."

Octavia Spencer won for her role in "The Help" as a headstrong black maid whose willful ways continually land her in trouble with white employers in 1960s Mississippi.

The acclaimed domestic drama "A Separation" is the first Iranian film to win the award of the Best Foreign Language Film.

Martin Scorsese's Paris adventure "Hugo" also won five Oscars, all in technical categories.