Actor Mahershala Ali first Muslim to an Academy Award

Monday


LOS ANGELES: Mahershala Ali, an American Muslim who converted to Islam 17 years ago, won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his “Moonlight” role.
Ali won for his first Oscar-nominated role, in which he plays a Miami drug dealer who mentors a young boy who is being teased and bullied. He is the first Muslim to win the Academy Award, the most coveted honor in motion pictures.
It has been a breakout year for Ali, who starred on the Netflix series “Luke Cage” and also had a role in another Oscar-nominated film, “Hidden Figures.”
He also starred in the political drama “House of Cards.”
Ali paid tribute to his teachers and “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins in his acceptance speech and thanked his wife, who gave birth to their daughter four days ago.
Ali revealed in January when he won the award for outstanding performance by a male actor at the Screen Actors Guild award ceremonies that he converted to Islam 17 years ago. Ali used his SAG speech to talk about acceptance and love, which he had learned from his wife, Amatus Sami-Karim, and his mother, Willicia Gilmore. His mother is an ordained Christian minister.
Ali converted to Islam after visiting a mosque with Sami-Karim and her mother. Sami-Karim is an actress and artist who grew up at her father’s mosque in Chicago. She met Ali while the pair was studying at New York University.
“Moonlight” won the Best Picture award at the 89th Academy Awards, but not after perhaps the biggest blunder in Academy history when actors Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were handed the wrong envelope and announced “La La Land” as Best Picture.
The moment at the conclusion of the Sunday night show was so jaw-dropping, it eclipsed everything else in a ceremony that was packed to the brim with Donald Trump jabs, fun stunts, heartfelt positivity and a stunning upset by “Moonlight” over what had been a “La La” juggernaut throughout award season. Yet somehow, even the embarrassing moment pivoted into grace.
As confusion and bafflement overwhelmed those in the Dolby Theatre and at home on their couches, “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins and “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle shared a hug on the back of the stage, out of sight from the television cameras.
“The folks of ‘La La Land’ were so gracious. I can’t imagine being in their position and having to do that,” Jenkins told reporters backstage. “It was unfortunate that things happened as they did but, goddamn, we won best picture.”
Oscar tabulators PwC, in their 83rd year providing the service to the academy, later apologized to all in a statement and are investigating why it happened.
There’s no denying, though, that “Moonlight’s” win over “La La Land” was a massive upset, made only more pointed by the envelope gaffe. Chazelle’s candy-colored musical was widely presumed to be a shoo-in for the top prize after its record-tying 14 nominations and a relative sweep of award season. The film still won six Oscars, including best director for Chazelle, who at 32 became the youngest ever to take the prize, and for score, song (“City of Stars”) and actress to Emma Stone.
The actress, who pledged her deep love of “Moonlight,” said later, “Is that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool!”



— Associated Press contributed to this report.

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