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Mahershala Ali Wins Best Supporting Actor For 'Green Book'

LOS ANGELES (CBS SF) -- Oakland native Mahershala Ali has won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar award for his performance as Don Shirley in the movie "Green Book."

The victory marks Ali's second Oscar for the same category--he won for his performance in 2017's "Moonlight." Ali's competition this year included Adam Driver in "BlacKkKlansman," Richard E. Grant in "Can You Forgive Me?", Sam Elliott in "A Star Is Born" and Sam Rockwell in "Vice."

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In the comedy-drama "Green Book," Ali plays Don Shirley, a classical and jazz pianist who tours the deep south in the early 1960's before Civil Rights, a dangerous time for black men. Shirley hires an Italian-American driver and body guard (Viggo Mortensen).

During his award speech, Ali thanked his grandmother. "She has got me over the hump every step of the way," he said.

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