Mahershala Ali is 2017’s award show season breakout A-lister, but his career is already staggeringly impressive.
His childhood
Mahershala Ali was born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on Feb. 16, 1974, in Oakland, California.
Growing up, Ali was very close to his father, a New York-based musical theater actor. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Ali recalled watching movies like Short Cuts and The Players with his dad, cultivating his love for acting.His religion
Ali was born into a Christian family. His mother is an ordained minister. But after a visit to a mosque with his wife and her mom when he was in graduate school, Ali converted to Islam.
“I just had this really strong response where this prayer is resonating in my body, and I’m, like, crying,” he explained while on the Death, Sex and Money podcast. “I woke up a week later, and I get up and I go, ‘I gotta go to the mosque.’ Long story short, I converted that day.”
He changed his last name from Gilmore to Ali upon his conversion.His education
Ali graduated from St. Mary’s College of California in 1996 with a degree in mass communications. He then earned his master’s degree in acting at New York University.
His competitive edge
During an appearance on the podcast Death, Sex and Money, Ali explained, “I grew up playing sports. As early as 4 years old, I was competing very seriously. First I started in BMX racing and later got into basketball and all this stuff. I never really related to that whole thing about beating someone else. That’s just not my spirit.”
His big break
Ali made his professional acting debut at the California Shakespeare Festival in Orinda, California, after he graduated from college. His big break came when he booked a recurring role on the series Crossing Jordan in 2001.
His career
Moonlight may be the talk of Ali’s career right now, but it is far from his first major role.
Ali appeared in four seasons of House of Cards before leaving, which allowed him to pursue his role in Moonlight.
In the conclusion of The Hunger Games trilogy, Ali played rebel Boggs.
With Ali’s striking looks and strong spirit, it’s no wonder he can play such a dynamic bad guy. He did just that in Season 1 of Netflix’s Luke Cage as Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes.
Ali isn’t just big in film; he’s a huge theater guy as well. He made his Broadway debut in February 2016 in Smart People starring opposite Joshua Jackson.
Ali also had a supporting role in award show hit Hidden Figures as Col. Jim Johnson.His marriage
Ali knew his wife, singer and artist Amatus sami-Karim for almost 20 years before the two married in 2013. In an interview on the Death, Sex and Money podcast, Ali said of his wife, “She’s extraordinarily intelligent. She’s about the right things, spiritually grounded, a beautiful person.”
Ali showed off his wife’s growing baby bump on the 2016 Golden Globes red carpet. The baby is due in February.
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