British filmmaker Tom Hooper on Sunday, won the Academy Award for directing "The King's Speech," and he said it might not have happened without a little help from his mom.

Hooper said his mother, Meredith, went to see a play reading in 2007 about a speech therapist who helped the future King George VI of England overcome a crippling stammer.

When she got home, Hooper's mother, who is Australian as the speech therapist in the play was, told him that she may have found his next film project. That play became "The King's Speech."

"With this tonight, I honor you, and the moral of the story is: Listen to your mother," Hooper said.

Hooper's victory marked the second win for the Oscars' front-runner, after David Seidler won for his writing on "The King's Speech."

The British royals drama, which led the field with 12 nominations, remains a contender for the best picture race.

Even though Hooper recently won the bellwether prize from the Directors Guild of America, the Oscar race was seen as a toss-up with David Fincher of "The Social Network." But some of the excitement was taken out of the battle after "Inception" director Christopher Nolan failed to secure a nomination.

"The King's Speech" was Hooper's third feature film. He made his name in the United States directing the HBO miniseries "John Adams."

Besides Fincher, the other nominees were Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan," David O. Russell for "The Fighter" and previous winners Joel and Ethan Coen for "True Grit."