Jessica Chastain wins best actress Oscar for 'Tammy Faye'

The Oscars looked kindly on Jessica Chastain

94th Academy Awards - Show

The Oscars looked kindly on Jessica Chastain.

Chastain won the Academy Award for best actress on Sunday night for playing televangelist Tammy Faye Baker in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.”

It’s the first Oscar for Chastain in three nominations. She was previously nominated for “Zero Dark Thirty” in 2013 and “The Help” in 2012.

She beat out fellow nominees Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart.

Chastain noted that suicide was a leading cause of death for the LGBTQ community and violence against minorities, saying she was inspired by Bakker’s compassion.

___

For more of AP’s Oscar coverage visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards