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Golden Oscar night for two great Cates

Oscars were won and records were broken by Australia's Catherine Martin and Cate Blanchett at the Academy Awards.

Cate Blanchett reacts at the Oscars
Cate Blanchett (pic) has won the Oscar for best actress for her role in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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They are Australia's golden duo, Cate Blanchett and Catherine Martin, who collected Oscars at Hollywood's biggest night and in the process etched their names in the record books.

Blanchett is now Australia's most decorated actor of all, while designer Martin became the most prolific Australian winner at the Academy Awards with her fourth Oscar after collecting two on the night.

For Blanchett, it was relief to win best actress for the Woody Allen drama Blue Jasmine after winning every lead-up award for the past three months.

"It was an intense, unbearable pressure and I'm so glad it's over," Blanchett told reporters.

Martin left Hollywood's Dolby Theatre on Sunday night with two in her hands, for costume design and production in her husband Baz Luhrmann's film The Great Gatsby.

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She won two in 2002 for costume design and art direction for Moulin Rouge! - another film directed by Luhrmann.

Martin's wins take her past trailblazing Australian costume designer Orry George Kelly who claimed three Oscars in the 1950s and `60s for his work on An American in Paris, Les Girls and Some Like it Hot.

"I am speechless," Martin said when asked about eclipsing her idol, who was known in Hollywood as Orry-Kelly.

"I don't know how I feel about it, other than very happy."

Martin's The Great Gatsby set decorator, Beverley Dunn, shared the production design Oscar.

Blanchett put an exclamation point at the tail end of the ceremony with her best actress win for playing a imploding, martini-chugging, pill-popping New York socialite in Blue Jasmine.

"There is so much talent in Australia," Blanchett said.

"CM and I are just the tip of the iceberg."

Blanchett's win was also an historic moment in Australian film.

She became the first Australian actor to win more than one Oscar, setting herself apart from single winners Nicole Kidman, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Peter Finch and Heath Ledger.

When this was pointed out to Blanchett backstage she jokingly replied: "And don't you forget it".

Blanchett won a supporting actress trophy in 2005 for her portrayal of screen great Katharine Hepburn in the Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator.

The 86th Academy Awards, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, was billed as a battle between 12 Years A Slave, Gravity and American Hustle.

In the end Gravity collected the most Oscars, seven mostly technical awards, while 12 Years A Slave took the grandest, best picture, as well as adapted screenplay and supporting actress for newcomer Lupita Nyong'o.

Dallas Buyers Club duo, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, won the best actor and supporting actor awards respectively.

The big disappointment was American Hustle, with 10 nominations but not a single win.


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