French 'Artist' actor to return to Oscars stage

LOS ANGELES: French actor Jean Dujardin, star of last year's Oscar-winning movie "The Artist," will return this year as an Academy Awards presenter, along with his fellow laureates, organizers said Tuesday.

Meryl Streep, who won best actress last year, will present awards at this show, as will Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer, best supporting actress and best supporting actor respectively.

"We are honored to have Meryl, Octavia, Christopher and Jean, last year's Oscar winners in each of the acting categories, return to the Oscar stage," said the February 24 show's producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

Streep is the most Oscar-nominated actor ever with 17 nods, and has won three, including for her role as former British premier Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."

Dujardin won best actor on his first nomination, for his role as a silent, black-and-white movie star struggling with the arrival of sound on the big screen.

Spencer also won with her first nomination, as a black maid in civil rights drama "The Help," while Canadian veteran Plummer became the oldest actor ever to win an Oscar, at the age of 82.

Steven Spielberg's presidential drama "Lincoln" has the most nominations for this year's show, with 12 nods, followed by "Life of Pi" with 11 and "Les Miserables" and "Silver Linings Playbook," both with eight.

But Ben Affleck's Iran hostage crisis drama "Argo" has won a succession of top prizes in Hollywood's annual awards season, leading some to tip it as favorite for the coveted best picture, despite only having seven nominations.