American actor (born 1974)
Mahershala Ali (/m ə ˈ h ɜːr ʃ ə l ə mə-HUR -shə-lə [ 1] Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has receivedmultiple accolades , including twoAcademy Awards , aBritish Academy Film Award , aGolden Globe Award , and aPrimetime Emmy Award . Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide.[ 2] The New York Times [ 3] Time 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.[ 4]
After pursuing anMFA degree fromNew York University , Ali began his career as a regular on television seriesCrossing Jordan Threat Matrix Richard Tyler in the science fiction seriesThe 4400 David Fincher -directed fantasyThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button The Hunger Games film seriesHouse of Cards Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Ali won theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor as a drug dealer inMoonlight Don Shirley inGreen Book multiple acting Oscars .[ 5] Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for executive producingWe Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest
In 2019, he played a troubled police officer in thethird season of theHBO anthology crime seriesTrue Detective Hulu comedy-drama seriesRamy Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in thefirst season of theNetflix seriesLuke Cage Aaron Davis in the animated filmsSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Early life and education [ edit ] Ali was born inOakland, California , on February 16, 1974, to Willicia Goines and Phillip Gilmore.[ 6] [ 7] [ 8] Maher-shalal-hash-baz , the name of the prophetIsaiah 's second child (chapter 8 ,Book of Isaiah ).[ 6] Hayward, California , by his mother, an ordainedBaptist minister whose own mother, Evia Goines, was herself an ordained minister at Palma Ceia Baptist Church in Hayward.[ 6] [ 9] [ 10] [ 11] Broadway [ 10] [ 6]
Ali attendedSaint Mary's College of California (SMC) inMoraga, California , where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in mass communication as afirst-generation college student .[ 9] [ 12] Hershal Gilmore " when playing for theSMC Gaels .[ 13] Spunk California Shakespeare Theater following graduation. After a sabbatical year working forGavin Report New York University 's graduate acting program atTisch School of the Arts , earning his master's degree in 2000.[ 9]
Ali at the 2010San Diego Comic-Con Ali was known professionally by his full name, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, from 2001 until 2010, when he began to be credited as Mahershala Ali.[ 9] [ 14] [ 14] The Place Beyond the Pines [ 14]
He elaborated in an interview toVanity Fair
"I think if you have any desire to be a leading man or to really carry some of these stories, there's this relationship that has to be cultivated with an audience. People have to be able to say your name. I didn't want a couple of syllables to get in the way of me having the fullest experience as an actor."[ 14]
He is known for his portrayal of Remy Danton in theNetflix seriesHouse of Cards Cornell Stokes inMarvel's Luke Cage The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Predators The Place Beyond the Pines Free State of Jones Hidden Figures
For his performance as mentor and drug dealer Juan in the drama filmMoonlight Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor , theSAG Award and theCritics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor and received aGolden Globe and aBAFTA Award nomination. At the89th Academy Awards , he was the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.[ 15]
In 2017, Ali joined the video gameMadden NFL 18 's story modeLongshot , in which he played Cutter Wade, the father of protagonist Devin.[ 16] [ 17] Don Shirley in the 2018 filmGreen Book [ 18] BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role .[ 19]
Ali starred as Arkansas State Police detectiveWayne Hays in the third season of theHBO seriesTrue Detective [ 20] 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."[ 21]
Ali at the2016 Toronto International Film Festival At the annualSan Diego Comic-Con in July 2019, Ali was announced as being cast to play the supernatural superheroBlade in theMarvel Cinematic Universe film of thesame name , which was previously played byWesley Snipes .[ 22]
Ali was signed to Bay Area recording labelHieroglyphics Imperium during the late 2000s and recordedrap music as Prince Ali.[ 23] Corner Ensemble , followed byCurb Side Service in 2007, but did not tour to promote the album, choosing instead to focus on his acting career.[ 24] [ 25] Keith Murray 's albumLord Of The Metaphor 2 alongsideCasual andPlanet Asia , and in 2020, appeared onRiz Ahmed 's albumThe Long Goodbye
Ali converted toIslam in 2000 changing his surname from Gilmore to Ali. In 2001 he became anAhmadiyya Muslim . In interviews, he has described being the subject ofracial profiling at airports and banks following theSeptember 11 attacks .[ 26] [ 27] [ 28]
He is married to Amatus Sami-Karim, an actress and musician.[ 29] [ 30]
Ali is a devout fan ofhip hop and has said within various interviews thatDoug E. Fresh ,Slick Rick ,Ka ,Roc Marciano ,EarthGang ,Mick Jenkins ,Conway The Machine ,Westside Gunn ,[ 31] Planet Asia ,Skyzoo ,Blu ,Mach-Hommy ,Pink Siifu ,Fly Anakin & Mutant Academy,Sage Elsesser ,Benny the Butcher , Hus Kingpin & SmooVth are among his favorite artists.[citation needed
In October 2023, Ali signed theArtists4Ceasefire letter calling for a ceasefire in the2023 Gaza war .[ 32] [ 33] Palestinians inGaza by reciting the poem "Longing for Haifa" by Palestinian poet Mohammed al-Qudwa in a video for social media, and encouraging his followers to donate to al-Qudwa's fundraiser so that the poet and his family could leave the Gaza Strip.[ 34] Mahmoud Khalil .[ 35]
Corner Ensemble (2006)Curb Side Service (2007)Ali receivedPrimetime Emmy andSAG Award nominations for his role inHouse of Cards Primetime Emmy for playingWayne Hays inthe third season of theHBO crime anthologyTrue Detective The next year , he won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for producingWe Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest another Emmy nomination for his role in the second season ofRamy BAFTA andGolden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in the science fiction romanceSwan Song narration of theNetflix documentaryChimp Empire fifth Emmy nomination .
Ali received critical acclaim and wonAcademy Awards andSAG Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as a drug dealer in the dramaMoonlight Don Shirley in the biographical comedy-dramaGreen Book BAFTA andGolden Globe Award for the latter. He is thefirst Muslim actor to win an Oscar , as well as thesecond black actor (afterDenzel Washington ) towin multiple acting Oscars and the only black actor to wintwice in the same acting category .
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RetrievedNovember 5, 2023 .^ ESPN (February 24, 2019)."Before becoming a two-time #Oscars winner, Mahershala Ali (then Gilmore) played D-I basketball at St. Mary's from 1992-96. (via @TheUndefeated, @WCCsports)pic.twitter.com/MhHWPiY9aF" .Archived from the original on March 17, 2019. RetrievedApril 29, 2019 . ^a b c d Desta, Yohana (October 20, 2016)."Mahershala Ali Is Everywhere—and He's Only Getting Started" .Vanity Fair Archived from the original on April 17, 2021. RetrievedDecember 14, 2016 . ^ Crum, Maddie (February 26, 2017)."Mahershala Ali Becomes The First Muslim Actor To Win An Oscar" .The Huffington Post .Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. RetrievedFebruary 27, 2017 . ^ Carter, Chris (June 10, 2017)."Madden is getting a story mode with Mahershala Ali" .Destructoid .Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 7, 2017 . ^ Smith, Joel (August 22, 2017)."Madden NFL 18's Longshot Proves to Be a Real Touchdown" . 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RetrievedJanuary 12, 2024 .^ Horton, Adrian (June 13, 2025)."Mark Ruffalo and Mahershala Ali among celebrity fathers calling for Mahmoud Khalil's release" .The Guardian .ISSN 0261-3077 . RetrievedJune 14, 2025 . ^ Freitag, Lee (June 13, 2024)."Jurassic World 4 Begins Filming, First Plot Details Released" .CBR . RetrievedJune 13, 2024 . ^ Hinog, Mark (June 10, 2017)." .SBNation.com .Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. RetrievedAugust 31, 2023 .
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