Oscar 2017: Viola Davis wins Best Supporting Actress, Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor

Viola Davis wins best supporting actress for Fences.

Oscars 2017
Viola Davis presented the award by Mark Rylance after winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in Fences Reuters

Viola Davis has won Oscar for Best Supporting Actress at the 2017 Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on February 26 in Hollywood. The 51-year-old artist was awarded for her performance as Rose, Denzel Washington's wife in Fences.

Davis beat Michelle Williams (for Manchester by the Sea), Naomie Harris (for Moonlight), Nicole Kidman (for Lion) and Octavia Spencer (for Hidden Figures) to the award.

In her speech, Davis said she was always asked: "'What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola?' I say exhume those bodies and the stories of the people who dream big, and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist, and thank God I did. We're the only profession who celebrates to live a life. So here's to August Wilson, who exhumed and exulted the ordinary people."

Mahershala Ali won Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the movie Moonlight. He was nominated against Hell or High Water's Jeff Bridges, Manchester By the Sea's Lucas Hedges, Lion's Dev Patel, and Nocturnal Animals' Michael Shannon.

Oscars 2017
Mahershala Ali wins best supporting actor for his role in Moonlight Reuters

During his acceptance speech, the 43-year-old actor thanked his wife, Amatus Sami-Karim, who recently gave birth to their first child. He said: "Lastly, I just want to thank my wife, who was in her third trimester during award season. We just had a daughter four days ago. I just want to thank her for being just such a soldier through this process and really carrying me through out it all."