Riz Ahmed makes history as first Muslim nominated for lead actor Oscar

Riz Ahmed has been nominated in the Best Actor category at Oscars 2021. The actor is the first Muslim to be nominated in this category.

British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed made history as he is the first Muslim to be nominated for an Academy Award in the lead actor category. The actor has been nominated for his performance in Sound of Metal. The nomination also makes Ahmed the first actor of Pakistani descent to grab a nomination in a category for actors at the Oscars. Riz Ahmed has received an Oscar nomination in Best Actor category for his role in Darius Marder's Sound of Metal. Along with Riz, Steven Yeun for Minari has been nominated in the same category. This is the first time that two actors of Asian descent have been nominated for lead actor in the same year. Previously, the Sound of Metal actor was the first Muslim, and first Asian, to win a lead acting Emmy in 2017 when he picked up the prize for lead actor in a limited series or movie for The Night of.