Oscars 2016: Leonardo DiCaprio wins Best Actor for 'The Revenant'

LOS ANGELES — Leonardo DiCaprio made career history tonight as he won his first Oscar.

The actor won for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his part as 19th century fur trapper Hugh Glass in "The Revenant."

The Alejandro González Iñárritu-directed film shows Glass pursue vengeance after he is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his group.

After thanking the crew, actors and his entire team, DiCaprio thanked Martin Scorsese for teaching him about the craft of acting.

DiCaprio spent the rest of his acceptance speech focusing on climate change and indigenous people, saying the film he made was about man's relationship with nature.

"Climate change is real," DiCaprio said. "It is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire our species right now and we need to work together to stop procrastinating."

His friend and two-time co-star, Kate Winslet, looked on proudly as DiCaprio spoke.

"We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters or the big corporations, but who speak for all of humanity. For the indigenous people of the world, for the billions and billions of underprivileged people who will be most affected by this, for our children's children  and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed."

DiCaprio ended on a note of gratitude.

"Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted."

Cox Media Group