Trivia

Has 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.

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)

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

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.

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 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).

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 the on-the-scene hero of a real-life crime scene at the Classic Stage Company in New York City, where he struggled 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 Apple TV+ sitcom Mythic Quest (2020), after being accused of improper behavior while on set. 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 as a result lost a great job with wonderful people.".

Has worked with Christopher Plummer in the drama film 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).

Has worked with Ron Perlman in the drama 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).

Has worked with Peter Weller in Woody Allen's 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).

Has worked with Christian Slater in three films: The Name of the Rose (1986), Beyond the Stars (1989) and Mobsters (1991). Both stars appeared in the very popular Star Trek series. Slater cameoed in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) and Abraham appeared in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).

As of 2017, has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: All the President's Men (1976), Amadeus (1984) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Of those, Amadeus (1984) is a winner in the category.

He has appeared in two 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) and Amadeus (1984).

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).

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

The first person with ancestry from an Arab country to have received an Academy Award for Best Actor. Rami Malek, who won for Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), is the second.

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

His contract for The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) stipulated that his name appear above the title in the advertising, or by no means. Since the producers already have Tom Hanks, Melanie Griffith, Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman above the title, Abraham chose not to be credited.

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.

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.

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

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

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