Trivia

During a ceremony in Rome, he was awarded the "Premio per gli Italiani nel Mondo". This is a prize distributed by the Marzio Tremaglia Foundation and the Italian government to Italian emigrants and their descendants who have distinguished themselves abroad. (July 2004)

He filmed Scarface (1983) in Los Angeles, California at the same time as Amadeus (1984) in Prague, Czech Republic, necessitating four round trip flights between the two films.

One of his first plays in Los Angeles was a dramatization of a work by Ray Bradbury: "The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit". He and Bradbury remained friends until Bradbury's death on June 5, 2012.

Attended the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas at Austin.

He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and brought up in El Paso, Texas. His father, Fred Abraham, was a Syrian immigrant, of the Antiochian Orthodox faith. His mother, Josephine (Stello) Abraham, was also born in Pennsylvania, to Italian parents.

Early in his career, he made a long series of television commercials for Fruit of the Loom underwear, portraying the speaking "Bunch of Grapes" character.

Attended and graduated from El Paso High School in El Paso, Texas (1958).

Studied drama under the tutelage of theatre practitioner Uta Hagen at HB Studio in Greenwich Village, New York City for a year in the early 1960s.

After his Academy Award for Best Actor in Amadeus (1984), he turned down roles in films such as the black comedy mystery Clue (1985) and Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986).

The first person with ancestry from an Arab country to have receive an Academy Award for Best Actor. Rami Malek, who won for his role in Bryan Singer's Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), is the second.

He continues working as professor of theatre at Brooklyn College, City University of New York (CUNY).

Had two younger brothers, Robert Abraham and Jack Abraham, who were killed in separate automobile accidents. His wife of 60 years, Kate Hannah, passed away from multiple sclerosis on November 19, 2022 at age 82.

He was the on-the-scene hero of a real-life crime scene at the Classic Stage Company in New York City, where he struggles with a young robber in the dressing room area during a public rehearsal of "Much Ado About Nothing". (January 2010)

He was dismissed from the AppleTV+ sitcom Mythic Quest (2020), after being accused of improper behavior while on the movie scenery. In a response statement, Abraham apologized and stated that he never intended "to offend anyone, I told jokes, nothing more, that upset some of my colleagues and a result lost a great job with wonderful people".

Has worked with Dr. Peter Weller in Woody Allen's comedy Mighty Aphrodite (1995). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Weller appeared in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).

He has appeared in three films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: All the President's Men (1976), Amadeus (1984) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Amadeus won in the category.

He has appeared in three films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant": All the President's Men (1976), Amadeus (1984) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

Has appeared with Sir Sean Connery as his nemesis in two films: inquisitor Bernardo Gui in The Name of the Rose (1986), and Professor Robert Crawford in Finding Forrester (2000).

Two of his most recognized films feature him as the story frame, portraying him as an old man telling his story from the past: Amadeus (1984) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

Auditioned for the role of Charlie Gordon in An Unmarried Woman (1978), but writer and director Paul Mazursky found that Cliff Gorman more closely resembles Mazursky's New York City artist friends.

He was awarded the John H. Finley Award by the alumni association of the City College of New York (CCNY) for exemplary dedicated service to the City of New York (2009). He was awarded the Gielgud Award for excellence in the dramatic arts by the National Arts Club in Manhattan, New York City (2010).

He was awarded two Off-Broadway Theater Awards for Outstanding Performance for his roles in Anton Chekhov's play "Uncle Vanya" (1984) and William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice" (2011).

Received an honorary degree (Doctor of Fine Arts) from Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey (1990).

His first major success as a film actor was as Antonio Salieri in Amadeus (1984) at age 45.

Speaks Spanish fluently, and also speaks Arabic and Italian for some film roles.

Has worked with Christopher Plummer in the revenge drama Money (1991). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Plummer appeared in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).

For The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), he requested equal billing with Morgan Freeman. When the producers failed to agree to this, Abraham chose not to be credited.

Has worked with Ron Perlman in the mystery film The Name of the Rose (1986). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Perlman appeared in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).

While staying in Wenatchee, Washington in September 1993, during the shooting of Surviving the Game (1994), Abraham was injured in an automobile accident, suffering from a fractured wrist, bruised ribs, and facial lacerations, after he was struck by a drunk driver. Abraham's Chevrolet Lumina was wrecked, through he recovered, but the drunk driver was killed.