Rami Malek wins Best Actor at the 2019 Oscars

Rami Malek just won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 2019 Academy Awards.

Malek took home the trophy for his performance as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. In his speech, he thanked Queen for allowing him to be "a part of your phenomenal, extraordinary legacy." Malek also said that Bohemian Rhapsody was the story of a man who was "unapologetically himself" and that its win shows that the world is "longing for stories like this."

Malek paid tribute to his father as well, saying, "My dad didn't get to see me do any of this, but I think he's looking down on me right now."

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This is Malek's first Academy Award win and his first nomination. The early frontrunner in the race was Christian Bale, who won a Golden Globe for his performance in Vice. But Malek also won a Golden Globe, competing in a different category as Bale, and he quickly overtook Bale in the race with wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTAs.

Malek's win was Bohemian Rhapsody's fourth Oscar of the night after it previously took Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing.