LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Oscar said yes to "No Country for Old Men" and to European actors on Sunday night.



Actors Daniel Day-Lewis, Tilda Swinton, Marion Cotillard and Javier Bardem toast their success.



"No Country," the Coen brothers' brutal tale of a man pursued by death and the law across the bleak moonscapes of West Texas, won best picture at the 80th Academy Awards.



The four acting awards, meanwhile, went to Europeans: Marion Cotillard, Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton.



The Coens also won best director and best adapted screenplay, and Bardem, who played cattle-gun-armed killer Anton Chigurh, won best supporting actor. Producer Scott Rudin shared the best picture award with the brothers.



"We're very thankful to all of you out there for letting us continue to play in our corner of the sandbox, so thank you very much," Joel Coen said in accepting the directing award.



He observed that the pair didn't think they were doing much different work now from when, as a child, Ethan Coen "got a suit and a briefcase and we went to the Minneapolis International Airport with a Super 8 camera and made a movie about shuttle diplomacy called 'Henry Kissinger, Man on the Go.' "  Watch the best of the winners' backstage remarks »



The Coens, who have been known for their arch style and oddball humor in films such as "Fargo," "O Brother, Where Art Thou" and "The Big Lebowski," received some laughs for Ethan Coen's laconic acceptance speeches.



After the pair won for adapted screenplay, Ethan Coen gave a brief thanks. Upon winning the directing award, he expanded on his speech slightly, sort of: "I don't have a lot to add to what I said earlier. Thank you," he said.



Day-Lewis was more effusive in his thanks after winning best actor for his performance as a misanthropic oilman in "There Will Be Blood."



"My deepest thanks to the members of the Academy for whacking me with the handsomest bludgeon in town," the British actor said as he accepted the award.



"I've been thinking a lot about fathers and sons in the course of this, and I'd like to accept this in the memory of my grandfather, Michael Balcon, my father, Cecil Day-Lewis, and my three fine boys, Gabriel, Ronan and Cashel," he added. See the complete list of winners



As he accepted his first Oscar, Bardem, one of Spain's top actors, thanked his directors and reflected on his role as a creepy killer with a bad haircut.



"Thank you to the Coens for being crazy enough to think that I could do that, and to put one of the most horrible haircuts in history over my head," he said.  Watch "No Country" win best picture »



It was his second career nomination. His other came for "Before Night Falls" (2000), in which he played Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas.



In a mild surprise, French actress Cotillard won her first Academy Award for her portrayal of singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose." Early handicappers had bet heavily on veteran Julie Christie, a previous Oscar winner who played a woman falling victim to Alzheimer's in "Away from Her."



But Cotillard, who's received raves for her performance as the French singer, had been considered a strong contender for best actress.



"I'm speechless now ... I ... I ... thank you life, thank you love," Cotillard exclaimed. "And it is true, there are some angels in this city. Thank you so, so much!"



The actress has appeared in dozens of films in her native France, but she may be most recognizable to American audiences for her performances in "A Very Long Engagement" (2004) and "Big Fish" (2003).



In a highly competitive race, Swinton nabbed the best supporting actress Oscar for
Who won the awards for acting? what is a four acting awards? What movie won the awards?
Marion Cotillard, Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton. Europeans: Marion Cotillard, Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton. "No Country for Old Men"
question: Who won the awards for acting?, answer: Marion Cotillard, Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton. | question: what is a four acting awards?, answer: Europeans: Marion Cotillard, Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton. | question: What movie won the awards?, answer: "No Country for Old Men"