Complete List of Oscar Winners 2012 Plus Surprises & Snubs

French actor Jean Dujardin, best actor nominee for his role in "The Artist", and his wife Alexandra Lamy arrive at the 84th Academy Awards in Hollywood Reuters

It's time to look back at the complete list of Oscar winners in 2012 and all the snubs and surprises like Meryl Streep's (The Iron Lady) win over Viola Davis (The Help).

Like always, the Academy Awards was a celebration of the wonder and awe that the cinema inspires in all of us. More than a collection of famous actors and actresses, it was a celebration of America's favorite pastime and an ode to the silver screen.

All told, the evening was largely a predictable affair. In the supporting categories, Octavia Spencer won for her role as a downtrodden maid in The Help and Christopher Plummer became the oldest Oscar winner at 82 for his turn as a newly out gay septuagenarian in The Beginners.

Hugo virtually swept the artistic awards with wins in Cinematography, Visual Effects, and Sound Mixing among others.

The writing categories were similarly predictable, following in line with this season's previously doled out awards. Woody Allen took home another career Oscar for his original screenplay Midnight in Paris while Alexander Payne and his collaborators Nat Faxon and Jim Rash won for The Descendants, adapted from the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings.

Rango took home Best Animated Feature in a decidedly week pool of candidates, void of any Pixar or Hayao Miyazaki offerings.

George Clooney was unable to upset Jean Dujardin in the Best Actor category. Dujardin took home the award for his role in The Artist, which included just two lines. The Artist went on to win the top award of the night, becoming the first silent, black and white film since 1929 to take home Best Picture.

There were a few surprises and snubs.

Many were surprised that Meryl Streep took the Best Actress Oscar, her third Academy Award and 17th nomination. I could feel half the audience going her, oh god, not her again, Streep said. But, oh well, she laughed. Though Streep won the Golden Globe, Viola Davis was widely seen as the favorite in this category for her unassuming turn in The Help.

Many believed Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory would easily take home the Best Documentary Oscar, but the film lost to underdog Undefeated. Though not as well received as the first installment, released in 1996, many thought the timeliness of the trilogy's final chapter (culminating in the release of the West Memphis Three in 2011) would catapult it to Oscar victory.

All told, the evening was largely predictable. Hugo swept the artistic awards, but The Artist took home the coveted Oscar for Best Picture. The acting categories were split between much lauded films and those left out of the Best Picture category. Octavia Spencer (The Help) and Jean Dujardin (The Artist) won in films that received several other nominations, while Christopher Plummer (The Beginners) and Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) won for films that did not.

Here's a look at the complete list of winners:

Best Picture: The Artist

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Short Film (Animated): The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Short Film (Documentary): Saving Face

Short Film (Live Action): The Shore

Writing (Original Screenplay): Midnight In Paris

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): The Descendants