LOS ANGELES » Julianne Moore has won the Academy Award for best actress for "Still Alice."

Moore gives a nuanced and heart-rending portrayal of a vibrant, ambitious Columbia University professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in the film by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland.

It was the first Oscar for Moore, 54, in five acting nominations. She also won the Golden Globe in January.

The other nominees were Marion Cotillard, "Two Days, One Night"; Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"; Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"; and Reese Witherspoon, "Wild."

The 87th Academy Awards are airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with host Neil Patrick Harris.