Mahershala Ali facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mahershala Ali
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Ali at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con
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| Born |
Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore
February 16, 1974 Oakland, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Mahershala Karim-Ali, Hershal Gilmore (formerly) |
| Education | Saint Mary's College, California (BA) New York University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Amatus Sami-Karim
(m. 2013) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Full list |
Mahershala Ali (born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has won many important awards, including two Academy Awards (also known as Oscars). He also has a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
In 2019, Time magazine said he was one of the 100 most influential people in the world. The next year, The New York Times listed him as one of the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century.
After getting his master's degree from New York University, Ali started acting on TV. He was in shows like Crossing Jordan (2001–02) and Threat Matrix (2003–04). His big break came with the science fiction series The 4400 (2004–07).
His first major movie role was in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). He became even more well-known for his roles in the last two Hunger Games movies. He also starred in House of Cards, which earned him his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Mahershala Ali is the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same acting category. He is also the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars. He won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for helping produce We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (2020).
In 2019, he played a police officer in the show True Detective. In 2020, he starred in the comedy-drama series Ramy. He was nominated for Emmy Awards for both of these roles. Ali also played Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in the Netflix series Luke Cage (2016). He also voiced Aaron Davis in the animated movies Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).
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Early Life and Education
Mahershala Ali was born in Oakland, California, on February 16, 1974. His birth name, Mahershalalhashbaz, comes from the Bible. He was raised as a Christian by his mother in Hayward, California. His father was a dancer who performed on Broadway. He passed away in 1994.
Ali went to St. Mary's College of California (SMC) and finished in 1996. He studied mass communication. He first went to SMC on a basketball scholarship. He played for the SMC Gaels team.
He later decided he didn't want a sports career. He became interested in acting after being in a play called Spunk. This led him to an acting apprenticeship. After a year working, he went to New York University to study acting. He earned his master's degree in 2000.
Acting Career Highlights
From 2001 to 2010, Ali was known by his full birth name, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali. He started using "Mahershala Ali" because his full name was too long for movie posters. He didn't want to be called "M. Ali," so he chose the shorter version.
He is well-known for playing Remy Danton in the Netflix series House of Cards. He also played Cornell Stokes in Marvel's Luke Cage. In the Hunger Games movies, he was Colonel Boggs. His first big movie role was as Tizzy in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).
Other important movies he has been in include Predators, The Place Beyond the Pines, Free State of Jones, and Hidden Figures.
At the 89th Academy Awards, he became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.
In 2017, Ali was part of the video game Madden NFL 18. He played Cutter Wade, the main character's father. In 2018, he played Don Shirley in the movie Green Book. For this role, he won his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He also won a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
Ali starred as detective Wayne Hays in the third season of the HBO series True Detective. This show started on January 13, 2019. Critics praised his amazing performance in the series.
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At the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, it was announced that Ali would play the superhero Blade. This will be in a future Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
Music Career
Ali also made rap music under the name Prince Ali. In the late 2000s, he signed with a record label. He released his first album, Corner Ensemble, in 2006. His second album, Curb Side Service, came out in 2007. However, he chose to focus more on his acting career than touring for his music.
He has also appeared on other rap artists' albums. In 2015, he was on Hus Kingpin's album "House Of Cards." In 2019, he was on Keith Murray's album Lord Of The Metaphor 2. In 2020, he appeared on Riz Ahmed's album The Long Goodbye.
Personal Life
Ali became a Muslim in 2000 and changed his last name to Ali. He has shared that he faced challenges at airports and banks because of his faith after the September 11 attacks.
He is married to Amatus Sami-Karim, who is also an actress and musician. They had their first child, a daughter, in February 2017.
Ali is a big fan of hip hop music.
Discography
Studio albums
- Corner Ensemble (2006)
- Curb Side Service (2007)
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Umi's Heart | Ezra | Short film, as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | |
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button | Tizzy | Credited as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | ||
| 2009 | Crossing Over | Detective Strickland | ||
| 2010 | Predators | Mombasa | ||
| The Wronged Man | Calvin Willis | Television film | ||
| All Signs of Death | Gabe | Unsold TV pilot | ||
| 2012 | The Place Beyond the Pines | Kofi | ||
| 2013 | Go for Sisters | Dez | ||
| 2014 | Supremacy | Deputy Rivers | ||
| The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Boggs | |||
| 2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | |||
| 2016 | Kicks | Marlon | ||
| Gubagude Ko | Ochoro | Short film | ||
| Free State of Jones | Moses | |||
| The Realest Real | The Minister | Short film | ||
| Moonlight | Juan | |||
| Hidden Figures | Colonel Jim Johnson | |||
| 2017 | Roxanne Roxanne | Cross | ||
| 2018 | Green Book | Doctor Donald Shirley | ||
| Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse | Aaron Davis / Prowler | Voice | ||
| 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel | Vector | ||
| 2021 | Eternals | Eric Brooks / Blade | Uncredited voice cameo | |
| Swan Song | Cameron / Jack | Also producer | ||
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Aaron Davis / Prowler | Voice cameo | |
| Leave the World Behind | George G.H. Scott | |||
| 2024 | Taste the Revolution | Mac Laslow | Filmed in 2001 | |
| 2025 | Jurassic World Rebirth  |
Duncan Kincaid | Post-production | |
| Wildwood |
Brenden | In production; Voice | ||
| TBA | Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse |
Aaron Davis / Prowler |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–2002 | Crossing Jordan | Dr. Trey Sanders | 19 episodes, credited as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | |
| 2002 | Haunted | Alex Dalcour | Episode: "Abby",credited as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | |
| NYPD Blue | Rashard Coleman | Episode: "Das Boots", credited as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | ||
| 2003 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Tombs' Security Guard | Episode: "Lucky Strike", as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | |
| The Handler | N/A | Episode: "Big Stones" | ||
| 2003–2004 | Threat Matrix | Jelani Harper | 15 episodes | |
| 2004–2007 | The 4400 | Richard Tyler | 28 episodes, as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | |
| 2009 | Lie to Me | Det. Don Hughes | Episode: "Do No Harm", credited as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Mark Foster | Episode: "Unstable" | ||
| 2011–2012 | Treme | Anthony King | 6 episodes, as Mahershalalhashbaz Ali | |
| Alphas | Nathan Clay | 12 episodes | ||
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Clarence Montgomery | Episode: "Clarence Montgomery" | |
| 2013–2016 | House of Cards | Remy Danton | 33 episodes | |
| 2016 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver | City Hall Informant | Episode: "Journalism" | |
| Luke Cage | Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes | 6 episodes | ||
| 2017 | Comrade Detective | Coach | Voice, episode: "Two Films for One Ticket" | |
| 2018 | Room 104 | Franco | Episode: "Shark" | |
| 2019 | True Detective | Wayne Hays | Main role; 8 episodes | |
| 2020 | Ramy | Sheikh Ali Malik | 6 episodes | |
| 2021 | Invincible | Titan | Voice, 2 episodes | |
| 2023 | Chimp Empire | Narrator | 4 episodes | |
| TBA | The Plot | Jake | Filming, Miniseries |
Video game
| Year | Title | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Madden NFL 18 | Cutter Wade |
Awards and Recognition
Ali was nominated for Primetime Emmy and SAG Award for his role in House of Cards (2013–2016). He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy for playing Wayne Hays in True Detective (2019).
In 2020, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for producing We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest. He also received another Emmy nomination for his role in Ramy (2020). He was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for his role in Swan Song (2021). His voice work as the narrator for the Netflix documentary Chimp Empire (2023) earned him his fifth Emmy nomination.
He is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. He is also the second Black actor (after Denzel Washington) to win multiple acting Oscars. He is the only Black actor to win twice in the same acting category.
See also
In Spanish: Mahershala Ali para niños
