Allison Janney Dedicates Oscar Win to Late Brother Who Died by Suicide

Allison Janney dedicated her Oscars win to her late brother, who took his own life in 2011.The I, [...]

By Kelsey Patterson

Allison Janney dedicated her Oscars win to her late brother, who took his own life in 2011.

The I, Tonya actress plays the gritty chain-smoking mom of Tonya Harding in the film, but she cleaned up in a red-hot Reem Acra gown to accept her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress on Sunday.

The 58-year-old gasped when her name was called at the 90th annual Academy Awards and she hugged a tearful Margot Robbie before she made her way to the stage.

"I did it all by myself," Janney teased before she offered thanks to her I, Tonya "family," the cast and crew of the film.

After issuing her gratitude to several people, she dedicated the statue to her late brother, Henry "Hal" Janney.

"This is for Hal. You're always in my heart," she said of her brother who killed himself on Feb. 14, 2011.

Janney previously opened up about her younger brother's struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, which inspired her to take the role of recovering addict Bonnie on the sitcom Mom.

"I was around the world of recovery a lot, trying to get my brother to want to recover,' she told CBS News in 2016 about her decision to take the part in the project with Anna Faris. "He didn't. He lost his battle with addiction and other things."

"I felt like this was important for me to take a part like this and be a part of a show that showed people in recovery, and also showed that there was hope," she added.

As Janney returned to her seat in the Dolby Theater on Sunday, she was spotted planting a kiss on her golden hardware - her first Oscar in her more than three-decade career in entertainment.

"I kind of didn't dare to have dreams like this, because I didn't want to be disappointed," Janney told reporters backstage while clutching her Oscar. "At a certain point I had given up thinking this could happen to me. I just wasn't being given the right kind of roles in films."

But all that changed when friend and screenwriter Steven Rogers wrote the part around Janney.

"He wrote this for me to do just that, to show a different side of me and what I can do. I'll never be able thank him," she added.

The 58-year-old competed in a stacked category to win Best Supporting Actress at the Academy Awards, beating out actresses Mary J Blige (Mudbound), Lesley Manville (Phanton Thread), Laurie Metcalf (Ladybird) and Octavia Spencer (The Shape Of Water).

Her co-star Robbie was also nominated as Best Actress for her portrayal of disgraced Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, but she was defeated by veteran actress Frances McDormand for her work in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

For all Oscars coverage by PopCulture.com, click here.

Photo credit: Getty / Kevin Winter

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