Mahershala Ali Becomes Just Second Black Actor to Win Multiple Oscars
Putting him on par with Denzel Washington.
Actor Mahershala Ali won his second Oscar tonight for his supporting role in Green Book portraying pianist Don Shirley.
Ali’s first Academy Award win came in 2017 for his supporting role in the critically-acclaimed, Barry Jenkins-helmed Moonlight. The win made Oscar history, making Ali the first Muslim to take home the award in the show’s entire history. The latest win now places Ali as the first black actor, and Muslim, to win Best Actor in a Supporting Role twice, putting him on par with Denzel Washington; the only other black actor to win an Oscar more than twice.
The actor, who was named one of the best dressed of the night with his Ermenegildo Zegna XXX tux and a Burris by Gigi Burris hat, beat out other notable performances from Adam Driver in BlacKkKlansman, Sam Elliott in A Star Is Born, Richard E. Grant in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Sam Rockwell in Vice. Along with the Oscar win, Ali also took home the same award at this year’s BAFTA, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild.
Watch Mahershala Ali’s Oscar acceptance speech below in which he thanks Shirley and his grandma, “who has been in my ear my entire life, telling me if I don’t at first succeed, try, try again … always pushing me to think positively. She has got me over the hump every step of the way.”
Check out the full list of winners from the 91st Academy Awards here along with the night’s musical performances.
See Mahershala Ali’s full #Oscars speech. pic.twitter.com/l9mGVvt7Rk
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 25, 2019
