Academy Awards: "Gravity" wins 7 Oscars while Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett win top acting trophies

"Gravity" won seven Oscars at the 86th Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Sunday. Meanwhile, "12 Years a Slave," "Dallas Buyers Club," "The Great Gatsby," and "Frozen" won two trophies each.

While "12 Years a Slave," directed by Steve McQueen, did a repeat of the BAFTA awards held earlier this month by coming away with Best Picture, Alfonso Cuaron made history by becoming the first ever Latin American director to win Best Director, which he was awarded for the drama "Gravity."

Matthew McConaughey and Cate Blanchett have dominated the major part of the awards season this year and, unsurprisingly, took home the top acting trophies. McConaughey earned the award for his portrayal in "Dallas Buyers Club" of a man who discovers he has AIDS, while Blanchett won for her role as a mentally troubled woman in "Blue Jasmine."

Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o won her first Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as a brutalized plantation slave in "12 Years a Slave," which - incidentally - is also her first feature film.

"This has been the joy of my life," said an emotional Nyong'o receiving her award. She added, "No matter where you are from, your dreams are all valid."

The Best Supporting Actor award was presented to Jared Leto for his role as a transgender devastated by AIDS in "Dallas Buyers Club."

In addition to the Best Director trophy, "Gravity" won six other Oscars - Best Original Score, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. In all, the movie was nominated for 10 Oscars.

"Frozen" earned two awards - Best Animated Film and the Best Song for "Let it Go," sung by Idina Menzel. The worldwide box office receipts for this film have already crossed the $1 billion mark.

The show was hosted by the veteran comedian and actor Ellen DeGeneres, who returned to the Oscar stage after a seven-year hiatus.