From Peep Show to Hollywood: The rise of Olivia Colman

Olivia Colman said she will take her Oscar statue to bed with her after scooping the award for best actress at the 91st Academy Awards.

Colman's performance in The Favourite saw her take home the award ahead of Glenn Close for The Wife and Lady Gaga for A Star Is Born.

Conquering the acting world is a remarkable moment for a performer who first found fame a long way from Hollywood.

Colman became a familiar face on the British small screen with roles in Green Wing, That Mitchell And Webb Look and Twenty Twelve.

But it was her role alongside David Mitchell and Robert Webb as Sophie in cult hit Peep Show which cemented her in the consciousness of screen watchers in the UK.

She also moved into films, including Hot Fuzz and Tyrannosaur, before she played the role of Carol Thatcher opposite Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady.

Olivia Colman received the award for best actress at the 2019 awards. Credit: AP

It was her part as the hotel manager in 2015's The Lobster that saw her paired with Greek film-maker Yorgos Lanthimos, who would go on to direct Colman to her Oscar win.

The critically acclaimed film is set in a surreal dystopian future, where single people are obliged to find a romantic partner within 45 days or are turned into animals.

Colman alongside fellow Oscar winners including Rami Malek. Credit: PA

Colman's next major success came in the BBC drama The Night Manager opposite Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie - for which she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy - and in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's black comedy Fleabag.

Her role in the ITV crime series Broadchurch playing DS Ellie Miller soon made her a household name in the UK but it is her turn in The Favourite which has made her a Hollywood star.

Colman's portrayal of the petulant, greedy and grieving queen won her rave reviews and has already scored her a Golden Globe and a Bafta.

Colman's role in The Favourite saw her pick up the best actress award at the 2019 Oscars. Credit: Atsushi Nishijima/ Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Her most anticipated role is yet to come, when she steps into the shoes of Queen Elizabeth II in the third series of The Crown as the lavish Netflix drama moves into the 1970s.

She will take over the part from Claire Foy and has said how difficult she is finding it.

Comparing the portrayal of the two monarchs, Colman told the Press Association: "It could not be more different.

"I find the harder is Queen Elizabeth because everyone knows what she looks like, everyone knows what she sounds like, everyone has an opinion on whether the casting is right.

"And I am loving the job, I am loving trying to play her, but I find her harder."

The actress picked up the award for best actress at the 2019 Oscars. Credit: AP