Riz Ahmed became the first Muslim actor to be nominated in the Best Actor category at the Oscars, after earning a nomination for his performance in Sound of Metal. The nomination comes across as a moment of cultural significance in the history of the Academy Awards.

In 1963, Omar Sharif became the first Muslim and African actor to receive a nomination under the Supporting Actor category for Lawrence of Arabia, but lost to Ed Begley.

In 2004, Shohreh Aghdashloo became the first Muslim actress to receive the Best Supporting Actress nomination for House of Sand and Fog, but ultimately lost to Renée Zellweger. Aghdashloo remains the only Muslim actress to have received a nomination in Oscar history.

In 2017, Mahershala Ali made history after winning the Oscar in the Best Supporting Actor category for Moonlight, becoming the first Muslim actor to win an acting award. In 2020, Ali achieved another monumental feat by becoming the first and only Muslim actor to win two Oscars, having won his second Best Supporting Actor trophy for Green Book.

India's own AR Rahman is the first and only Muslim composer to have won an Oscar in the music category.