Heavily-backed favourite Mahershala Ali won the best supporting actor Oscar on Sunday for his portrayal of a drug dealer in coming-of-age drama "Moonlight" - becoming the first Muslim film star to pick up a golden statuette. A first-time nominee, the 43-year-old actor saw off competition from Britain's Dev Patel, veteran US actors Jeff Bridges and Michael Shannon and newcomer Lucas Hedges.
"I want to thank my teachers, my professors," Ali said. "One thing that they consistently told me... 'It's not about you. It's about these characters. You are a servant. You're in service to these stories and these characters'." He thanked his fellow cast members - and his wife, who gave birth to their first child, a girl, just days earlier.