Sean Penn has won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his role in One Battle After Another at the 98th Academy Awards. This marks his third acting Oscar, placing him among an elite group of male actors including Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson and Walter Brennan.
Penn previously won best actor Oscars for Mystic River in 2004 and Milk in 2009. He defeated a strong field of nominees including Benicio del Toro (also for One Battle After Another), Delroy Lindo for Sinners and Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value.
In the film, written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Penn plays Colonel Steven J Lockjaw, a military officer who becomes obsessed with Teyana Taylor’s character Perfidia after being sexually humiliated.
Despite his well-known disdain for the Oscars, Penn has featured prominently on this year's awards circuit, winning best supporting actor at the Baftas and Actor awards, and receiving nominations at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice awards. The actor did not attend the ceremony to accept his award, which was accepted on his behalf by presenter Kieran Culkin.
