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Mahershala Ali Just Joined an Exclusive Group of Actors to Win Multiple Oscars in the Span of a Few Years

By Rachel E. Greenspan

Mahershala Ali just joined a very small club. At the 91st Academy Awards on Sunday, he won the Actor in a Supporting Role award for his portrayal of the late pianist Don Shirley in Green Book, the same award he won two years ago for his role in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight. This feat — winning multiple Oscars in the span of four years or less — has only happened eleven times before.

Beyond this metric, Ali made Oscars history: He is only the second person of color to win multiple Academy Awards for acting. The only other non-white actor who won multiple Oscars over the near-century of ceremonies is Denzel Washington, who won for his supporting role in 1989’s Glory and leading role in 2001’s Training Day. According to a 2016 TIME labs report, only 6.4 percent of acting nominations had gone to non-white actors.

Before Ali’s win, of the eleven actors to win multiple awards in four years or less, all are white; six of the winners are women. Here are all the actors who won multiple Academy Awards in four years or less.

Walter Brennan

Movie stars Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra hold their Oscars which they won for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively in the movie "From Here To Eternity" as they pose with presenters Walter Brennan and Mercedes McCambridge backstage at the RKO Pantages Theatre on March 25, 1954 in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Ochs Archives)
Movie stars Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra hold their Oscars which they won for Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively in the movie "From Here To Eternity" as they pose with presenters Walter Brennan and Mercedes McCambridge backstage at the RKO Pantages Theatre on March 25, 1954 in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Ochs Archives

1937: 9th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — Come and Get It (Swan Bostrom)

1939: 11th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — Kentucky (Peter Goodwin)

1941: 13th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — The Westerner (Judge Roy Bean)

Luise Rainer

Luise Rainer, the first woman to win two Oscars, holds her Best Actress award for her performance in The Great Ziegfeld during the 1937 Academy Awards ceremony. (Rex Hardy Jr.—The LIFE Premium Collection/Gett)
Luise Rainer, the first woman to win two Oscars, holds her Best Actress award for her performance in The Great Ziegfeld during the 1937 Academy Awards ceremony.
Rex Hardy Jr.—The LIFE Premium Collection/Gett

1937: 9th Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — The Great Ziegfeld (Anna Held)

1938: 10th Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — The Good Earth (O-Lan)

Spencer Tracy

Legendary actor Spencer Tracy who won back-to-back Academy Awards for Captains Courageous. (Bettmann Archive)
Legendary actor Spencer Tracy who won back-to-back Academy Awards for Captains Courageous.
Bettmann Archive

1938: 10th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Leading Role — Captains Courageous (Manuel)

1939: 11th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Leading Role — Boys Town (Father Flanagan)

Olivia de Havilland

Olivia de Havilland smiling looking at her two Oscars in the 1950s. (Mondadori Portfolio—Mondadori/Getty Images)
Olivia de Havilland smiling looking at her two Oscars in the 1950s.
Mondadori Portfolio—Mondadori/Getty Images

1947: 19th Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — To Each His Own (Jody Norris)

1950: 22nd Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — The Heiress (Catherine Sloper)

Katharine Hepburn

Undated headshot of Katharine Hepburn. (George Rinhart—Corbis via Getty Images)
Undated headshot of Katharine Hepburn.
George Rinhart—Corbis via Getty Images

1968: 40th Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Christina Drayton)

1969: 41st Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — The Lion in Winter (Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine)

Glenda Jackson

British actress Glenda Jackson holding the Oscar which she won for her role as Gudrun in 'Women in Love.' (Mike Lawn—Getty Images)
British actress Glenda Jackson holding the Oscar which she won for her role as Gudrun in 'Women in Love.'
Mike Lawn—Getty Images

1971: 43rd Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — Women in Love (Gudrun Brangwen)

1974: 46th Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — A Touch of Class (Vicki Allessio)

Jason Robards

Actor Jason Robards hugs actress Tatum O'Neal, who presented him with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in All the President's Men. Robards' presentation was the first of the evening at the 49th Annual Academy Awards on March 28, 1977. (Bettmann Archive)
Actor Jason Robards hugs actress Tatum O'Neal, who presented him with the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in All the President's Men. Robards' presentation was the first of the evening at the 49th Annual Academy Awards on March 28, 1977.
Bettmann Archive

1977: 49th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — All the President’s Men (Ben Bradlee)

1978: 50th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — Julia (Dashiell Hammett)

Meryl Streep

Actress Meryl Streep poses backstage after winning "Best Supporting Actress" during the 52nd Academy Awards at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images)
Actress Meryl Streep poses backstage after winning "Best Supporting Actress" during the 52nd Academy Awards at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.
Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images

1980: 52nd Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Supporting Role — Kramer vs. Kramer (Joanna Kramer)

1983: 55th Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — Sophie’s Choice (Sophie)

Jodie Foster

Actress Jodie Foster smilies as she wins the award for best actress in the film "The Accused," in Los Angeles on March 29, 1989. (Bettmann—Bettmann Archive)
Actress Jodie Foster smilies as she wins the award for best actress in the film "The Accused," in Los Angeles on March 29, 1989.
Bettmann—Bettmann Archive

1989: 61st Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — The Accused (Sarah Tobias)

1992: 64th Annual Academy Awards

Actress in a Leading Role — The Silence of the Lambs (Clarice Starling)

Tom Hanks

American actor Tom Hanks holds up the Oscar statuette he won for Best Actor for his role in the film 'Philadelphia' in Los Angeles, California, on March 21, 1994. (Fotos International—Getty Images)
American actor Tom Hanks holds up the Oscar statuette he won for Best Actor for his role in the film 'Philadelphia' in Los Angeles, California, on March 21, 1994.
Fotos International—Getty Images

1994: 66th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Leading Role — Philadelphia (Andrew Beckett)

1995: 67th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Leading Role — Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)

Christoph Waltz

Actor Christoph Waltz arrives at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Inaugural Governors Awards held at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on November 14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images)
Actor Christoph Waltz arrives at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Inaugural Governors Awards held at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on November 14, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
Kevork Djansezian—Getty Images

2010: 82nd Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — Inglorious Bastards (Col. Hans Landa)

2013: 85th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — Django Unchained (Dr. King Schultz)

Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali accepts the Actor in a Supporting Role award for 'Green Book' onstage during the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 24, 2019. (Kevin Winter—Getty Images)
Mahershala Ali accepts the Actor in a Supporting Role award for 'Green Book' onstage during the 91st Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on Feb. 24, 2019.
Kevin Winter—Getty Images

2017: 89th Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — Moonlight (Juan)

2019: 91st Annual Academy Awards

Actor in a Supporting Role — Green Book (Don Shirley)

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Write to Rachel E. Greenspan at rachel.greenspan@time.com.

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