Domingo’s previous acting credits include One Night in Miami, If Beale Street Could Talk, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and The Color Purple.
His co-star Clarence Maclin, a former real-life inmate of Sing Sing prison who portrays a version of himself in the film, was named best supporting actor.
The top prize was won by A Different Man, a superb and original film about an aspiring actor who has neurofibromatosis, a disfiguring facial condition.
He undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance, but then begins to grapple with a loss of identity, and is perturbed after meeting a man with a similar condition who is happy and fulfilled within his own body.
A Different Man held off competition from films including Anora and Babygirl, both of which could feature prominently in the Oscars race.
Director Aaron Schimberg said he was shocked to collect the award “considering the other nominees”.
Other attendees at the Gothams included Hollywood stars Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, Jessica Chastain, Adrian Brody, Pamela Anderson, Zoe Kravitz and Saoirse Ronan.
