Best Actress in a Supporting Role : Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire

The tag line for the movie 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' is "Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious."

Many a movies come and go. But an infrequent few arrive like gifts, sent by some cosmic messenger to stir the senses, arouse compassion and send viewers into a world made radically new by refreshed attentiveness and empathy. Such is the movie 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire' which surely qualifies as the most aching, poetic and incredibly beautiful film of the year.

Mo’Nique’s performance in this movie has been much appreciated that she went on to receive the Best Actress in a Supporting Role.In this movie, Mo’Nique plays the mother to an overweight, uneducated, black 16-year-old Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe).The dysfunctional family lives in the New York City neighborhood of Harlem.

For her performance, she has won several awards including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award, and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)Award. She is the sixteenth African American actress to be given a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress,and the fourth to win.

Oscar Nominations for Best Actress/Actor in a Supporting Role

Actress in a Supporting Role

Penelope Cruz in 'Nine'
Vera Farmiga in 'Up in the Air'
Maggie Gyllenhaal in 'Crazy Heart'
Anna Kendrick in 'Up in the Air'
Mo'Nique in 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'

Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon in Invictus
Woody Harrelson in 'The Messenger'
Christopher Plummer in 'The Last Station'
Stanley Tucci in 'The Lovely Bones'
Christoph Waltz in 'Inglourious Basterds'

Penelope Cruz Sanchez

Penelope Cruz Sanchez, a Spanish actress won the best supporting actress award at the Oscars this year for her outstanding performance in the movie "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". She is the first female actress from Spain to win an Oscar.Her career started with Spanish movies like "Jamon, jamon" and "Belle Epoque" in the year 1992.Both these movies won critical acclaim for her as a young actress. She is appreciated immensely for her performances in the movies "Volver" and "Todo sobre mi madre". She has delivered outstanding performance in many American movies too.

She was born in Madrid,Spain in April 28,1974 and had learnt classical ballet for 9 years at Spain's National Conservatory.Penelope Cruz speaks four languages such as Spanish, Italian, French and English. She is also known to have contributed sufficient time and money to charity.In one of her interviews, during the year 2007,she even expressed her wish to adopt a child in future.