Meet the First Muslim Actor to Win an Emmy
British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed won the Emmy for best actor in a limited series or a television movie last night for his performance in The Night Of. His win meant more than just an award.
Ahmed became the first Muslim actor, as well as the first South-Asian actor, to win an acting Emmy when he nabbed the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series.
Riz Ahmed accepts the award for outstanding lead actor in a limited series or a movie for “The Night Of” at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles
69th Primetime Emmy Awards – Show, Los Angeles, USA – 17 Sep 2017
The actor reigned supreme after beating Benedict Cumberbatch from Sherlock: The Lying Detective, Ewan McGregor from Fargo, Geoffrey Rush from Genius, Robert De Niro from The Wizard of Lies and John Turturro from The Night Of.
Before I go, I want to say it’s always strange reaping the rewards of a story that’s based on real world suffering. But if this show has shone a light on some of the prejudices in our society, Islamophobia, some of the injustice in our justice system, then maybe that’s something. And I would shout out South Asian Youth Action for helping me prepare for this and the Innocence Project. Thank you very much.” – Ahmed when he won the award
Ahmed’s win, indeed, is historic and he couldn’t be more deserving of the accolades.
