Matthew McConaughey won the award for Best Actor at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday for his work in Dallas Buyers Club and gave an inspirational speech.

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McConaughey's performance as Ron Woodroof, an AIDS patient who helped others obtain medication for the disease in the late '80s, received critical acclaim and pushed his boundaries as an actor.

The 44-year-old actor passionately kissed his wife Camila Alves before heading on stage to accept his honor.

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During his acceptance speech he thanked the film's director Jean-Marc Vallée and his co-stars Jared Leto and Jennifer Garner.

He went on to list the things he needs daily -- something to look up to, something to look forward to and someone to chase.

He explained that God is the one he looks up to, his family is who he looks forward to and finally his hero is the one he chases.

"Every day, every week, every month and every year of my life my hero is always ten years away. I'm never going to beat my hero. I'm not going to obtain that. I know I'm not," he said. "And that's just fine with me cause that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing."

This is the first Oscar win for McConaughey, who also stars in Magic Mike, The Paperboy and more recently HBO's True Detective.

Other nominees in the category included Christian Bale for American Hustle, Bruce Dern for Nebraska, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street and Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years a Slave.