The Artist crowned a phenomenal awards season with the Oscar for Best Film, as well as four other gongs during the biggest night on the film industry's calendar.
It was the first time in 84 years that a silent film had triumphed at the event.
Collecting the evening's final and biggest award, French director Michel Hazanavicius said he wished to thank three people - "Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder".
First signs that the biggest statuettes would go The Artist's way were with recognition for Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius for his creation of the black and white silent French film, an ode to the end of the silent movie era, with a dog the only one with a speaking part.
And Jean Dujardin beat home-grown favourites George Clooney, Brad Pitt as well as Gary Oldman and Demian Bechir to take the Best Lead Male Actor for his silent role in the film.
Meryl Streep looked genuinely shocked to learn she had beaten a strong field, including Viola Davis, Michelle Williams, Glenn Close and Rooney Mara to take the gong for Best Lead Female Actor for her role of Margaret Thatcher in controversial biopic The Iron Lady.
She said at the podium that she could feel half of the American audience saying "oh, not her again", but stopped to thank everyone she could, adding it was "definitely the last time I will ever be here".
Octavia Spencer was a popular winner for Best Supporting Female, for her role in The Help, earning a standing ovation as she took to the stage and broke down during her acceptance speech, thanking many people, even including the state of Alabama in her list.
And 82-year-old Christopher Plummer was probably the least surprising winner, for Best Supporting Male Actor, for his role as a newly out father to Ewan McGregor in Mike Mills' Beginners.
"You're only two years older than me, where have you been all my life?" he asked his new statuette.
One thing became clear early on in the evening - it wasn't going to be a sweep by any one film.
The biggest surprise of the night so far was perhaps Woody Allen's win for Best Original Screenplay, for Midnight in Paris, his romp through the Belle Epoque of the city of love, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.
The Descendants, which has largely lost out to The Artist for this season's gongs, garnered Alexander Payne an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Martin Scorsese's sentimental Hugo took an early lead on the night, with five wins in technical categories, Best Achievement in Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.
The Artist also picked up two early gongs for Best Costume and Best Musical Score, and The Iron Lady triumphed for Best Makeup.
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo picked up an Award for Best Film Editing, while A Separation continued its sweep of Awards season, with the Iranian love story picking up the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
See below for ALL the winners, beneath our collection of them with their statuettes:
Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
The Help
Moneyball
War Horse
The Tree of Life
Best Actor
Demian Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
Best Actress
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis - The Help
Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn
Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Max Von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer - The Help
Best Director
Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne - The Descendants
Martin Scorsese - Hugo
Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
JC Chandor - Margin Call
Asghar Farhadi - A Separation
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo - Bridesmaids
Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash - The Descendants
John Logan - Hugo
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon - The Ides of March
Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian - Moneyball
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughn - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Best Animated Feature
A Cat In Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Bullhead (Belgium)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)
Original Score
The Adventures of Tintin - John Williams
The Artist - Ludovic Bource
Hugo - Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Alberto Iglesias
War Horse - John Williams
Best Original Song
Man or Muppet - The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
Real in Rio - Rio; Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Best Achievement in Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse
Best Achievement in Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.
Best Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated
Best Documentary Short Subject
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement?
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Best Achievement in Film Editing
The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Best Achievement in Makeup
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady
Best Animated Short Film
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life
Best Live Action Short Film
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon