HOLLYWOOD - Mo'Nique drew on her own harrowing experiences of abuse to help get into character for her Oscar-winning role as a monstrous parent in the independent drama "Precious."

The 42-year-old comedienne -- who scooped the best supporting actress Oscar here Sunday -- has revealed she was sexually abused by her eldest brother Gerald during her childhood.

Mo'Nique has said she channeled those experiences into her performance as Mary, the relentlessly cruel mother to the obese, illiterate and abused heroine of Lee Daniels's film.

"My brother was a monster to me," Mo'Nique said in a recent interview. "When Lee (Daniels) would say 'Action,' I became my brother... I became that monster."

Mo'Nique said she hoped "Precious" would encourage victims of abuse to speak out. "I think this film is going to save somebody's life," she said, noting she had kept her own abuse ordeal secret for years.

"I didn't tell till I was fifteen. And at the time I didn’t get any help. I didn't understand all that. I did what most kids do. You put it in the back of your head and you don't tell anybody."

Sunday's win completes a virtual awards season clean sweep: the Baltimore native had already won the equivalent prize at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and British Academy of Film and Television Awards.

Born Monique Imes in 1967, the larger-than-life entertainer became known simply as Mo'Nique early in her career, where she rose to fame starring in the 1999-2004 sitcom "The Parkers."

By then she had already established herself as a stand-up comedian, performing at Baltimore's Comedy Factory Outlet after being encouraged by her brother Steve to take to the stage during an "open-mic" night.

Her film roles have included parts in "Domino" and another Lee Daniels film, "Shadowboxer" which starred Helen Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr.

The full-figured Mo'Nique has also become an unofficial spokeswoman for plus-size women, writing a collection of musing titled "Skinny Women are Evil" in 2003 which became a best-seller.

Size was the subject matter for her 2006 film "Phat Girlz," a critically panned romantic comedy about a weight-obsessed fashion designer struggling to find acceptance in a world of slender women.

Since October last year Mo'Nique has hosted a nightly Monday-Friday talkshow on Black Entertainment Television, a cable network targeting young African-American audiences.