Tatyana Marisol Ali (born January 24, 1979) is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from 1990 to 1996. She starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original series '' Love That Girl!'', and played a recurring role as Roxanne on the CBS soap opera ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in the fictional Genoa City (named after the real-life Genoa City, Wiscon ...

'' from 2007 to 2013. In 2023, she starred in ''Giving Hope: The Ni'Cola Mitchell Story'' on Lifetime.

Early life

Tatyana Ali was born on January 24, 1979, in North Bellmore, New York. She is of mixed African and South Asian ancestry or Dougla, born to an Indo-Trinidadian father and an

Afro-Panamanian Afro-Panamanians are Panamanians of African descent. The population can be mainly broken into two categories: "Afro-Colonials", those descended from slaves brought to Panama during the colonial period; and "Afro-Antilleans", West Indian immigran ...

mother.

Career

In 1985, six-year-old Ali began her acting career as a regular performer on the PBS children's educational program ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

''. Her tenure included an appearance with jazz great

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

, who demonstrated his Fairlight CMI

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

using a sample of Ali's voice. She also appeared in two episodes of '' Star Search,'' one of which featured her performance of a cover of

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

's and Tammi Terrell's hit " Ain't No Mountain High Enough". She made her breakthrough in 1990 when she was cast as Ashley Banks on the NBC television sitcom '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', a role she played throughout the series' entire run, from 1990 to 1996. Ali's vocal talent was featured on several episodes of ''Fresh Prince'' in later seasons, prompting the show's star

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

to ask her if she would seriously consider pursuing a musical career. She ultimately decided, for the time being, to continue to concentrate on her acting career. In the series' final season, however, Ali performed several songs, and she began to be cleaned for her musical debut, the culmination of which was her debut album '' Kiss the Sky'' in 1998. It was certified gold in early 1999, only months after its release, and spawned the Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins-produced hit single " Daydreamin'", released July 21, 1998, which peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and also appeared on the UK Singles Chart. The album spawned two further UK hits, " Boy You Knock Me Out" featuring Will Smith — which peaked at No. 3 and is her biggest hit to date — and "Everytime", which was her third top-20 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 20. She made an appearance on Smith's album '' Willennium'' on the track "Who Am I" with

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

. She performed the title song "Sunny Valentine" along with Terrence Quaites for the indie film ''Rockin' Meera'' in 2005. In early 2008, she performed on the song " Yes We Can", a will.i.am project supporting

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

's presidential campaign. She also appeared in the subsequent music video, which garnered coverage on the "What the Buzz" segment of ABC's '' World News Now''. In January 2014, Ali released an EP titled ''Hello'', whose first single was "Wait For It", which she performed on '' The Arsenio Hall Show'' on February 4, 2014. Apart from her musical career, Ali continued to land roles in films such as '' The Brothers'', '' Glory Road'', and ''

Nora's Hair Salon ''Nora's Hair Salon'' is a 2004 Independent film, independent comedy-drama film, written by Chanel Capra and Jean-Claude La Marre, and film director, directed by Jerry LaMothe. This film stars Jenifer Lewis, Tamala Jones, and Tatyana Ali. Plot N ...

'' (and its sequel), among others. From 2009 to 2010, she produced and starred in the BET web series ''Buppies''. She was on

recurring status Recurring status is a class of actors that perform on U.S. soap operas. Recurring status performers consistently act in less than three episodes out of a five-day work week, and receive a certain sum for each episode in which they appear. This i ...

on the CBS

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

'' as Roxanne from 2007 to 2013. Ali starred in the TV One original series '' Love That Girl!'' as Tyana (whose name was derived from Ali's given name). In 2013, she co-starred as Maya in the BET comedy '' Second Generation Wayans'', alongside Craig Wayans and Damien Dante Wayans. In 2011, Ali received the Living Legacy Award from the Caribbean Heritage Organization in Los Angeles. In July 2016, Ali sued Warner Bros., claiming that the company stole her idea for the show ''

The Real In continental philosophy, the Real refers to reality in its unmediated form. In Lacanian psychoanalysis, it is an "impossible" category because of its inconceivability and opposition to expression. In depth psychology The Real is the ...

'', after she pitched the concept in December 2012. The case was dismissed in February 2017.

Personal life

She dated actor Jonathan Brandis from 1995 to 2001. Ali graduated from The Buckley School in 1997. Ali attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Studies and Government in 2002. On a celebrity edition of the game show ''The Chase'', which aired February 3, 2015, Ali stated that her major was political science. She traveled the United States as a spokesperson for

's 2008 presidential campaign, and headed

voter registration In electoral systems, voter registration (or enrollment) is the requirement that a person otherwise Suffrage, eligible to Voting, vote must register (or enroll) on an electoral roll, which is usually a prerequisite for being entitled or permitted ...

drives at college campuses. In March 2016, Ali revealed that she was engaged to Vaughn Rasberry, an assistant professor of English at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, whom she had met on eHarmony, and they announced that they were expecting their first child. She and Rasberry married on July 17, 2016, in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. The couple have two sons. Rasberry has since become an associate professor and associate vice provost for graduate education at Stanford. Ali is an honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta, she was inducted on July 27, 2024 at the sorority's Boulé in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other appearances

Awards and nominations

;Caribbean Heritage Organization * 2011: Recipient, Living Legacy Award ;

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

* 1996: Won, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress – ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' * 1997: Nominated, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress – ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' * 2010: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama – ''The Young and the Restless'' * 2011: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – ''Love That Girl!'' * 2011: Won, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama – ''The Young and the Restless'' * 2012: Won, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama – ''The Young and the Restless'' * 2012: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – ''Love That Girl!'' * 2013: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – ''Love That Girl!'' ;

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice, is an American annual awards ceremony show produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in March or early April, the show honors the year's biggest in tel ...

* 1996: Nominated, Favorite Television Actress – ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' ; Young Artist Awards * 1991: Won, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' * 1992: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' * 1993: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' * 1994: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' * 1995: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – ''Name Your Adventure''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ali, Tatyana 1979 births Living people 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century African-American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from New York (state) African-American child actresses American actresses of Indian descent American child actresses American child singers American contemporary R&B singers American film actresses American musicians of Panamanian descent American people of Trinidad and Tobago descent American soap opera actresses American television actresses American women singers of Indian descent Harvard College alumni Hispanic and Latino American actresses People from Bellmore, New York Singers from New York (state)