Ahmad was the first man with Asian ancestry to win an Emmy for acting .
He also appeared in Girls , earning him another Emmy nomination at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards.  At the ceremony , Ahmad became the first Muslim to win an Emmy for acting , when he 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.