A look at El Paso’s Academy Award Winner

A former El Pasoan is also an Academy Award winner, but not for work in 2016. F. Murray Abraham grew up in El Paso and won the award for Best Actor in 1985.

It’s been 31 years since Abraham won his Academy Award for his work as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus.

His work since has been more supportive roles in The Grand Budapest Hotel and Homeland, but even with his success, he would visit family in El Paso.

“His mom and dad used to live here, and he used to come here once a year, twice a year, at least to see his mom. He loved his mom,” said Nada Aziz, his cousin-in-law who lives in El Paso.

Even with a family who loved him, breaking into the movie business wasn’t always something he had support for.

“His father, he was against it so bad, that’s what I’ve been told. But he loved acting, he hard a time at the beginning, but his dreams came through,” Aziz said.

Dreams that meant the world not only to him, but to his family.

“He was so proud of him. They had a big party at his house, and everybody was proud of him,” said Aziz.

Abraham is currently working in an animated film by Wes Anderson called Isle of Dogs.
It is set to release in 2018.