Oscars history beckons for Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio will make history tonight if he picks up his first Oscar for his role in The Revenant.
He will compete with Britain's Eddie Redmayne who is up for his second consecutive best actor gong at the glittering ceremony in Los Angeles.
DiCaprio's career has spanned more than 20 years, and seen him star in a dazzling list of hit films, but so far an Oscar has eluded him despite a number of nominations.
The Titanic heartthrob, 41, has already picked up a Bafta and Golden Globe for his turn as Hugh Glass in the outdoor epic, and time will tell whether he can add a much-coveted Oscar statuette to his already laden down mantelpiece.
In 1994 he lost out for his role in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, in 2005 he failed to win for his part in The Aviator, in 2007 he again lost out for Blood Diamond, and in 2014 he was beaten once again for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street.
The Revenant - which was the big winner at the Baftas - leads the Oscars pack with 12 nominations.
DiCaprio and Redmayne, who received a nod for his role as a transgender artist in The Danish Girl, are up against Irish actor Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs, Matt Damon for The Martian and Bryan Cranston for Trumbo.
Redmayne, 34, took home the Academy Award last year for his performance as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything.
DiCaprio's British co-star Tom Hardy is up for best supporting actor in a category dominated by talent from the UK.
There are also nods for Christian Bale for The Big Short and Wolf Hall star Mark Rylance for Bridge Of Spies. They will compete with Sylvester Stallone for Creed and Mark Ruffalo for Spotlight.
Charlotte Rampling, 70, is up for best actress for her role in 45 Years, alongside Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, 21, for Brooklyn, in which she plays a homesick immigrant in New York.
Ronan was previously nominated when she was just 13 for her role in Atonement in 2007.
The actresses will compete against former Oscar winners Cate Blanchett, who is nominated for Carol, and Jennifer Lawrence, for Joy, as well as Golden Globe and Bafta winner Brie Larson, who is nominated for Room.
Kate Winslet will be hoping to continue her award season success and win best supporting actress for her role as Joanna Hoffman in Steve Jobs.
The British star has already won the Golden Globe and the Bafta, and is up against Blanchett's co-star Rooney Mara for Carol, as well as Redmayne's co-star in The Danish Girl, Alicia Vikander.
Spotlight actress Rachel McAdams and Jennifer Jason Leigh are also in the running.
The films up for best picture are The Big Short, Bridge Of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room and Spotlight.
Sam Smith has been nominated for the best original song Oscar for Writing's On The Wall, the theme to James Bond film Spectre.
The Grammy-winning singer won a Golden Globe for the track alongside his writing partner Jimmy Napes.
The 2016 Oscars - the 88th Academy Awards - has been mired in controversy with high-profile stars opting to boycott the event due to a lack of diversity.
An unprecedented debate about race in the film industry was sparked after none of the nominees for the best actor and actress and best supporting actor and actress categories are from an ethnic minority.
The hashtag #OscarSoWhite has become a rallying cry for dissatisfied film stars and fans.
Actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith will boycott the ceremony alongside director Spike Lee, while stars including actors George Clooney, Mark Ruffalo, Lupita Nyong'o, David Oyelowo, Viola Davis and British director Steve McQueen have spoken of their disappointment with the lack of diversity.
The event takes place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
