Editing F. Murray Abraham (section)

=== 1983–1986: Breakthrough and acclaim ===
[[File:Antonio Salieri painted by Joseph Willibrord Mähler.jpg|thumb|160px|right|Portrait of [[Antonio Salieri]], whom Abraham portrayed in ''[[Amadeus (film)|Amadeus]]'' (1984)]]
Abraham gained greater prominence when he appeared as drug dealer Omar Suárez in the gangster film ''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'' (1983). Then, in 1984, he played envious composer Antonio Salieri in the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]-winning ''Amadeus'' (1984), directed by [[Miloš Forman]]. Abraham won the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for his role, an award for which his co-star in the film [[Tom Hulce]], playing [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], had also been nominated. He also won a [[Golden Globe Award]], among other awards and his role in the film remains his most famous.

Abraham's relatively low-profile film career subsequent to his [[Academy Award]] win has been considered an example of the "Oscar jinx." According to film critic [[Leonard Maltin]], professional failure following an early success is referred to in Hollywood circles as the "F. Murray Abraham syndrome."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.film.com/features/story/winning-oscar-curse-or-blessing/13303376 |title=Is winning an Oscar a curse or a blessing? |access-date=2007-05-20 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207113221/http://www.film.com/features/story/winning-oscar-curse-or-blessing/13303376 |archive-date=December 7, 2008 }} film.com (2007).</ref> Abraham rejected this notion and told Maltin, "The Oscar is the single most important event of my career. I have dined with kings, shared equal billing with my idols, lectured at Harvard and Columbia. If this is a jinx, I'll take two." In the same interview, Abraham said, "Even though I won the Oscar, I can still take the subway in New York, and nobody recognizes me. Some actors might find that disconcerting, but I find it refreshing."

Abraham also joined [[The Mirror Theater Ltd]]'s Mirror Repertory Company in 1984. He joined MRC the week after winning his Oscar for Best Actor for his work in ''Amadeus'' because he wanted to work with MRC Artist-in-Residence [[Geraldine Page]] (to whom he would eventually present her own [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Academy Award]] the following year) and would star opposite her in MRC's ''The Madwoman of Chaillot''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/26/arts/broadway.html|title=BROADWAY|first=Enid|last=Nemy|date=26 April 1985|access-date=8 February 2022|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Since ''Amadeus'', he mainly focused on classical theater and has starred in many [[Shakespearean]] productions such as ''[[Othello]]'' and ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''. He was highlighted in many other plays by the likes of [[Samuel Beckett]] and [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] and played the lead in [[Anton Chekhov]]'s ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' (for which he received an [[Obie Award]]). His next film role was in ''[[The Name of the Rose (film)|The Name of the Rose]]'' (1986), in which he played [[Bernardo Gui]], nemesis to [[Sean Connery]]'s [[William of Baskerville]]. In its DVD commentary, the director of the film, [[Jean-Jacques Annaud]], described Abraham as an "egomaniac" on the set, who considered himself more important than Sean Connery because Connery did not have an Oscar.<ref>Jean-Jacques Annaud, ''The Name of the Rose'' DVD commentary, Warner Home Video, 2004.</ref> Despite the on-set tensions, the film was a critical<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_name_of_the_rose_1986/ |title=The Name of the Rose (Der Name der Rose) |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=2013-11-14}}</ref> and commercial success.