In 2016 , Ahmed played the role of Nasir " Naz " Khan in the HBO miniseries '' The Night Of '' , and once again received universal praise for his performance , earning him Emmy , Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations . He also appeared in the final season of '' Girls '' , earning him another Emmy nomination . At the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards , Ahmed won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in '' The Night Of '' , winning over Robert De Niro , Benedict Cumberbatch , Ewan McGregor , Geoffrey Rush and co-star John Turturro . This made Ahmed the first Asian and first Muslim to win in the category , the first South Asian male to win an acting Emmy , and the first Muslim and first South Asian to win a lead acting Emmy ; the only previous South Asian to win an acting Emmy was British Asian actress Archie Panjabi for a supporting role in 2010
69th Primetime Emmy Awards
69th Primetime Emmy Awards
Riz Ahmed