To grab gold, Ali bested fellow nominees Jeff Bridges (Hell of High Water), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Dev Patel (Lion), Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals).
Moonlight shined early at the 89th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night, where Mahershala Ali claimed the night’s first prize, for Best Supporting Actor.
He previously won a Screen Actors Guild Award in the same category for Moonlight, as well as earned a Golden Globe nod.
In the acclaimed Moonlight, Ali plays Juan, a Miami drug dealer who acts as surrogate father to a young boy who struggles with a crack-addicted mom (played by Naomie Harris) and perpetual bullying.