Veteran actor Morgan Freeman won the Academy Award on Sunday as best supporting actor for his portrayal of the onetime prize boxer Eddie "Scrap-Iron" Dupris in Clint Eastwood's boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby."

The win gave 67-year-old Freeman his first Oscar after having been nominated three other times for his roles in the 1987 film "Street Smart," in 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy" and in 1994's "The Shawshank Redemption."

The other competitors for the honor were Alan Alda for the "Aviator," Thomas Haden Church for "Sideways," Jamie Foxx for "Collateral," and Clive Owen for "Closer."