Geoffrey Rush's The King's Speech set for Oscar reign after Screen Actors Guild Awards honour

The SAGs are the last major award ceremony before next month's Academy Awards and often set the tone for Hollywood's night of nights.

The 98,000 actors who decide the SAG Awards anointed The King's Speech the outstanding cast in a motion picture prize - the equivalent of the Academy's best picture Oscar - ahead of challengers The Social Network, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right and Black Swan.

"It shouldn't be called a SAG Award," Rush, who also was an executive producer on the film, said on stage inside the Shrine Auditorium.

"It should be called the Uplifting Award."

The King's Speech's male lead, English actor Colin Firth, won the SAG best actor category, but the news was not so good for Rush, a supporting actor nominee, who missed out on the award to Oscar favourite Christian Bale for The Fighter.

A fortnight ago The Social Network, a film detailing the rise of Facebook, appeared set to be the dominant film at the February 27 Oscar ceremony, but The King's Speech has since picked up huge support, earning 12 Oscar nominations last week and winning top awards at the Producers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America galas.

Australia's other two Oscar acting hopes did not fare well at the SAGs with Nicole Kidman, nominated for best actress for Rabbit Hole, losing out to Black Swan's Natalie Portman. Kidman, nominated for a SAG and Oscar for Rabbit Hole, has been a bridesmaid in recent months at Hollywood award ceremonies, with Portman dominating.

Kidman did not score an award, but she showed off photos of her new daughter Faith Margaret for the first time.

Kidman and Keith Urban, while walking the red carpet, proudly pulled out an iPhone containing snaps of the five-week-old born via a surrogate mother in Nashville.

Jacki Weaver has been a regular on the Hollywood award circuit in the supporting actress category for Animal Kingdom, however she could not manage a SAG nomination. As expected, The Fighter's Melissa Leo triumphed at the SAG ceremony.

In other SAG categories, Modern Family won the ensemble in a TV comedy series award, Hot in Cleveland's Betty White triumphed in the female actor in a comedy TV series category and Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) claimed the female actor in a TV drama series.

Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) scored for male actor in a TV drama series. Boardwalk Empire also won best ensemble in a TV series.