Mahershala Ali wins second Oscar in three years

Mahershala Ali won his second Oscar in three years on Sunday.

Ali took home the statuette for best supporting actor once again, this time for his portrayal of a classical pianist traveling through the segregated American South with a white driver in "Green Book".

The 45-year-old actor was dressed in a suit and a hat which appeared to be inspired by the Jinnah cap. 

He fended off competition from last year´s winner Sam Rockwell ("Vice") and three first-time nominees: Sam Elliott ("A Star Is Born"), Adam Driver ("BlacKkKlansman"") and Richard E Grant ("Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

In "Green Book," Ali stars as Don Shirley, a classical and jazz pianist who in the early 1960s hires an Italian-American bouncer, Tony "Lip" Vallelonga, to drive him to a series of concerts in the Deep South.

"Just trying to capture Dr Shirley´s essence pushed me to my ends, which is a reflection of the person he was and the life that he lived. And I thank him," Ali told the audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Ali won his first Oscar for playing drug dealer Juan, who imparts life lessons to Chiron that help him survive in prison and in the outside world.

On television, Ali had an Emmy-nominated turn on Netflix political drama "House of Cards" as White House lobbyist turned chief of staff Remy Danton and was featured on "Treme" and "Marvel´s Luke Cage."

Currently, he stars in the third season of dark HBO drama "True Detective."

Ali was in another Oscar-winning film this year — he voices the nefarious character of Uncle Aaron in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse," which won the award for best animated film.

He is currently in theaters in "Alita: Battle Angel."