Best Director winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu just made Oscar history with his second Academy Award.

"The Revenant" filmmaker is only the third person to ever win back-to-back Oscars for direction, and the first director in 65 years to pull it off. He previously won for 2015's Best Picture winner, "Birdman."

Inarritu was long favored to take home the award, after previously winning the Directors Guild Award for the second year in a row. The four other filmmakers competing for Oscar were: Adam McKay for "The Big Short," Tom McCarthy for "Spotlight," George Miller for "Mad Max: Fury Road," and Lenny Abrahamson for "Room."

The Mexico-born Inarritu first came onto the scene with the gritty "Amores Perros" in 2000, followed by the 2003 drama "21 Grams." He also directed the Academy Award-nominated "Babel" (2006) and the Javier Bardem-starring "Biutiful" (2010).

Like "Birdman" before, "The Revenant" showcases the director's love for shooting scenes all in one take -- a feat all the more impressive given the film's arduous production. A feat that the Academy bestowed Sunday night with Oscar gold.