Lupita Nyong'o won the best supporting actress Oscar on Sunday for her role in harrowing historical drama "12 Years a Slave", earning a standing ovation as she took the stage.

A tearful Nyong'o paid tribute to her slave character Patsey, saying: "It doesn't escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else's."

The actress, who turned 31 on Saturday, beat fellow nominees Sally Hawkins ("Blue Jasmine"), Jennifer Lawrence ("American Hustle"), Julia Roberts ("August: Osage County") and June Squibb ("Nebraska").