Mahershala Ali (; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore, February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

. '' Time'' magazine named him one of the

100 most influential people in the world ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...

in 2019, and in 2020, '' The New York Times'' ranked him among the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. After pursuing an MFA degree from New York University, Ali began his career as a regular on television series, such as '' Crossing Jordan'' (2001–2002) and ''

Threat Matrix ''Threat Matrix'' is an American drama television series created by Daniel Voll that aired on ABC from September 18, 2003 to January 29, 2004 which lasted 16 episodes. The plot consisted of the events in a United States Homeland Security anti-te ...

'' (2003–2004), before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series '' The 4400'' (2004–2007). His first major film role was in the

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...

-directed fantasy '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'' (2008). He gained wider attention for supporting roles in the final two films of ''The Hunger Games'' film series, and in '' House of Cards'', for which he received his first

nomination. Ali won the

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while worki ...

for his performances as a drug dealer in the drama ''

Moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. Illumination The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar phase, but even the ful ...

'' (2016) and as Don Shirley in the comedy-drama film '' Green Book'' (2018). He is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar, the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category, and the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars. In 2019, he played a troubled police officer in the third season of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

anthology crime series ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the ...

'' and in 2020, he starred in the second season of the

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

comedy-drama series '' Ramy''. He was nominated for

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for both performances. Ali has also played

Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...

in the first season of the Netflix series ''

Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Luke Cage, Hero for Hire'' #1 (June 1972) and was created by Archie Go ...

'' (2016).

Early life and education

Ali was born on February 16, 1974, in Oakland, California, the son of Willicia Goines (born 1957) and Phillip Gilmore (1956–1994). He was raised as a Christian in

Hayward, California Hayward () is a city located in Alameda County, California in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of 162,954 as of 2020, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda Coun ...

by his mother, an ordained Baptist minister whose mother, Evie Goines, was also an ordained minister in Hayward Baptist Church. His father was an actor who appeared on Broadway. Maher-shalal-hash-baz is the name of the prophet Isaiah's second child (

chapter 8 Chapter 8 may refer to: * Chapter 8 (band) Chapter 8 was a Detroit soul group of the 1970s and 1980s formed by Michael J. Powell and David Washington. Anita Baker was featured as lead vocalist on their first, self-titled album on Ariola in 197 ...

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). He attended

St. Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a Private college, private Catholic Church, Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college of ...

(SMC) in Moraga, California, where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in mass communication. He entered SMC with a basketball scholarship and went by the name "Hershal Gilmore" when playing for the SMC Gaels. He became disenchanted with the idea of a sports career because of the treatment given to the team's athletes and developed an interest in acting, particularly after taking part in a staging of ''

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'', which later landed him an apprenticeship at the

California Shakespeare Theater California Shakespeare Theater ("Cal Shakes") is a regional theater located in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Its performance space, the Lt. G. H. Bruns III Memorial Amphitheater, is located in Orinda, while the administrative offices, ...

following graduation. After a sabbatical year working for ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The pu ...

'', he enrolled in New York University's graduate acting program at Tisch School of the Arts, earning his master's degree in 2000.

Career

Acting

Ali was known professionally by his full name, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, from 2001 until 2010, when he began to be credited as Mahershala Ali. Ali had considered shortening his name for a while, saying that using his full first name was "a crazy thing to do considering that we're in Hollywood", although he had never been pressured by managers or agents to change it. He decided to use a shorter version of his first name after being told that his full name was too long to fit on the poster for the film '' The Place Beyond the Pines''. He did not want the alternative of "M. Ali" to represent himself on the poster, so he chose to adopt the shorter version of his name. He elaborated in an interview to '' Vanity Fair'' in October 2016: He is known for his portrayal of Remy Danton in the Netflix series '' House of Cards'',

Cornell Stokes Cottonmouth (Cornell Stokes) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was portrayed by Mahershala Ali in the first season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series ''Luke Cage''. ...

in '' Marvel's Luke Cage'', Colonel Boggs in '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1'' and '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2'' and Tizzy in the 2008 film '' The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'', his first major film role. Other notable films include ''

Predators Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...

'', '' The Place Beyond the Pines'', ''

Free State of Jones Jones County is in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,246. Its county seats are Laurel and Ellisville. Jones County is part of the Laurel micropolitan area. History Less t ...

'', '' Hidden Figures''. For his performance as mentor and drug dealer Juan in the drama film ''

'' (2016), Ali received universal acclaim from critics and won the

, the

SAG Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor and received a

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and a BAFTA Award nomination. At the 89th Academy Awards, he was the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. In 2017, Ali joined the video game '' Madden NFL 18'' story mode ''Longshot'', in which he played Cutter Wade, the father of protagonist Devin. He played Don Shirley in the 2018 film '' Green Book'', receiving his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Ali starred as Arkansas State Police detective

Wayne Hays Wayne Levere Hays (May 13, 1911 – February 10, 1989) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative of Ohio, in the Democratic Party, from 1949 to 1976. He resigned from Congress after a much-publicized sex scandal. Early year ...

in the third season of the

series ''

'', which premiered on January 13, 2019, in the United States. On Rotten Tomatoes, the site's critical consensus reads, "Driven by Mahershala Ali's mesmerizing performance, ''True Detective''s third season finds fresh perspective by exploring real world events – though it loses some of the series' intriguing strangeness along the way." Mahershala Ali (29953410761)

At the annual San Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, Ali was announced as being cast to play the supernatural superhero Blade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film of the same name, which was previously played by Wesley Snipes.'Blade' Being Rebooted By Marvel With Mahershala Ali; 'Fantastic Four' Also In The Works
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Music

Ali was signed to Bay Area recording label Hieroglyphics Imperium during the late 2000s and recorded

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

as Prince Ali. In 2006, he released his first album, ''Corner Ensemble'', followed by ''Curb Side Service'' in 2007, but did not tour to promote the album, choosing instead to focus on his acting career. In 2015 Ali appeared on rap artist Hus Kingpin album "House Of Cards" lending his voice to skits and rapping on the track entitled "House Of Card Gods" using his moniker . In 2019, he made a guest appearance on

Keith Murray Keith Omar Murray (born May 29, 1974) is an American rapper from New York. Murray grew up on Carleton Ave, in Central Islip, which is located on the South Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County. Murray was a known member of a local rap collec ...

's album ''Lord Of The Metaphor 2'' alongside

Casual Casual or Casuals may refer to: * Casual wear, a loosely defined dress code **Business casual a loosely defined dress code **Smart casual a loosely defined dress code * Casual Company, term used by the United States military to describe a type of ...

and Planet Asia, and in 2020, appeared on Riz Ahmed's album '' The Long Goodbye''.

Personal life

Ali converted to Ahmadiyya Islam in 2000, changing his surname from Gilmore to Ali. In interviews, he has claimed being the subject of racial profiling at airports and banks following the September 11 attacks. He is married to Amatus Sami-Karim, an actress and musician. Their first child, a daughter, was born in February 2017. Ali is a fan of hip hop and has said within various interviews that Planet Asia, Roc Marciano, Mach-Hommy, Pink Siifu,

Fly Anakin Frank L. Walton, Jr (born July 9, 1994), better known by his stage name Fly Anakin is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, Virginia. He is the co-founder of Richmond hip hop crew Mutant Academy. Early life Fly Anakin was raise ...

& Mutant Academy, Mick Jenkins, Sage Elsesser, EARTHGANG, Westside Gunn, Hus Kingpin & SmooVth are amongst his favorite artists.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Corner Ensemble'' (2006) * ''Curb Side Service'' (2007)

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Accolades

Among his many accolades, Ali has been nominated for two Academy Awards, three

BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

, three

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

, four

, and seven

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Ali college basketball stats
at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC, is an American company which operates several sports-related websites, including Sports-Reference.com, Baseball-Reference.com for baseball, Basketball-Reference.com for basketball, Hockey-Reference.com for ice hockey, Pro- ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Mahershala 1974 births Living people 21st-century American male actors African-American former Christians African-American male actors African-American Muslims American former Christians American Muslims American Ahmadis American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Audiobook narrators Basketball players from California Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winners Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Converts to Islam from Christianity Male actors from Oakland, California Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Screen Actors Guild Award winners Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Point guards Primetime Emmy Award winners Saint Mary's College of California alumni Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball players Sportspeople from Hayward, California Tisch School of the Arts alumni People from Mount Washington, Los Angeles