HOLLYWOOD ?French starlet Marion Cotillard was crowned best actress at the Oscars here Sunday, becoming only the second woman ever to win the award for a non-English speaking performance.

Cotillard, 32, scooped the award for her portrayal of tragic French chanteuse Edith Piaf in bio-pic "La Vie En Rose," to follow in the footsteps of Italian legend Sophia Loren, the 1962 best actress winner.

"Oh -- thank you so much. Olivier, what you did to me, you rocked my life. You have truly rocked my life," she told the Academy Awards ceremony referring to the film's director Olivier Dahan.

"I'm speechless now ... I thank you life, thank you love and -- it is true, there is some angels in this city. Thank you so, so much," she said.

The victory also made Cotillard only the second Frenchwoman in history to win the award following Simone Signoret's triumph in 1960.

Cotillard had already won honors at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs earlier this year. Other best actress nominees included Cate Blanchett ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age"), Julie Christie ("Away From Her"), Laura Linney ("The Savages") and Ellen Page ("Juno").