Kate Winslet has won the Oscar for her role as illiterate former Nazi guard Hanna Schmitz in The Reader. A campaign was launched against Winslet’s best actress nomination after the film was criticized for what some deemed a denial of the atrocities of the Holocaust. Harvey Weinstein and others involved in the film defended the content in a statement issued on Friday, saying in part that “these allegations are fueled by ignorance and a misunderstanding of the material, and are based on unsubstantiated arguments. The greatest films elicit great debate and conversation.”

Winslet was thought to be the front runner for the Academy Award this year because she has been nominated six times but hasn’t taken home a statue yet. In an interview with ABC News she was understated but clear about her desire to win, saying “It would be nice to know what it feels like in that situation to win sometime.” She also said that compared to previous years when she knew she wouldn’t take home a statue “this year… I can’t actually tell.”

Kate has her answer now and her long-anticipated Oscar. She also took home a SAG, Critics Choice Awards, Golden Globe and BAFTA for this role and now she can add “Academy Award Winning Actress” to her name.

The award was presented by former winners Shirley MacLaine, Marion Cotillard, Halle Berry, Sofia Loren, and Nicole Kidman. Each woman gave tribute to the actress and nominated role in a heartfelt and meaningful speech that seemed to touch both the actress mentioned and the audience.

In her acceptance speech Winslet was exhilarated but well spoken. She said that she made a version of the speech when she was “8 years old and staring into the bathroom mirror, and this would have been a shampoo bottle.” She thanked her parents and told her dad to whistle to let her know where he was. We immediately heard a loud whistle from the audience and saw a guy in a hat smiling. Winslet thanked her husband and said that it was a great film to to work on as “there was no division between the cast and crew of this film.” She also thanked now-departed producers Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella, looking up to signify that they were in Heaven. Winslet mentioned her fellow nominees and and said “I think we all can’t believe we’re in a category with Meryl Streep at all.”

Watching The Reader I felt like I understood Winslet’s character and I sympathized with her somewhat without excusing what she’d done. She gracefully stepped into the role, never overplaying her character and never making you second guess her performance even as Hannah reached old age. There were parts of the film I questioned as it felt too heavy and slow at times, but Winslet was impeccable. She usually is, and now she’s finally received her industry’s highest honor. Congratulations to Winslet.