Mahershala Ali poses for photos after winning the Best Supporting Actor award for "Green Book" in the press room during the 91st Academy Awards ceremony, or the Oscars, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the United States, on Feb. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Mahershala Ali on Sunday won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in dramedy "Green Book."

Ali beat out Adam Driver ("BlacKkKlansman"), Sam Elliott ("A Star Is Born"), Richard E. Grant ("Can You Ever Forgive Me?") and Sam Rockwell ("Vice") in a hotly-contested race.

This is Ali's second Oscar. In 2017, Ali won best supporting actor for his role in "Moonlight."

In "Green Book," directed by Peter Farrelly, Ali plays Don Shirley, an African-American concert pianist who becomes friends with the working-class white bouncer who drives him through the South during a tour in 1962.

The film picked up five Oscar nominations, with the other four being Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

"I want to thank Dr. Shirley for just trying to capture his essence. 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 said in his acceptance speech.

Ali has won a number of acting awards in this awards season, including the Golden Globe Award, BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award.

The 91st Academy Awards, or the Oscars, are presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honor the best films of 2018 in 24 categories.

The ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, is the first one without a host in three decades. The last time the Oscars went host-less was in 1989.