British actor Olivia Colman, as temperamental Queen Anne in The Favourite, bested Hollywood veteran Glenn Close to win her maiden Best Actress Oscar at the 91st Academy Awards here.

Colman and Close, nominated for her role of a bitter wife to a literary giant in "The Wife, were in a neck-and-neck fight for the coveted golden knight.

Colman gave the nod to fellow nominee Close, who was a favourite in the category, and said she did not want to win an Oscar while her "idol" lost.

"It is genuinely quite stressful. This is hilarious, I have got an Oscar! To be in this category with these extraordinary women. Glenn Close, you have been my idol for so long. This is not how I wanted it to be. I love you all," she said in her acceptance.

The actor also thanked film's director Yorgos Lanthimos and co-stars Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone.

"I have to thank a lot of people. If I forgot you I will find you later and give you a massive snog. Yorgos, my best director and the best film. Emma and Rachel the two women to fall in love with and to go to work with everyday.

Her maiden Oscar win follows her winning streak at this awards season - she bagged the BAFTA Award, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress in a Comedy and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

Colman brought a certain pathos to the eccentric British royal absurdist period comedy-drama.

The actor shines despite being surrounded by two Oscar-winners and Hollywood stars -- Weisz and Stone.

Colman's Anne emerges a lonely figure, plagued by gout and the loss of her 17 children. In her quest for love, she is often left emotionally abused by the two women seeking power through her.

The British actor, who started her journey as a comedienne, has emerged as one of the best dramatic stars of this generation with critically-lauded turns in "Broadchurch" and "The Night Manager".

She has been a favourite of Lanthimos, who first worked with her in 2015 film "The Lobster", where she played the manager of a facility which turns single people into animals if they fail to pair up. Co-star Weisz was also a part of that film.

The other nominees in the category were Lady Gaga for A Star is Born, Yalitza Aparicio for "Roma" and Melissa McCarthy for "Can You Ever Forgive Me?".