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Mahershala Ali
Actor, ProducerBorn February 16, 1974 (51 years)
Mahershala Ali (/məˈhɜːrʃələ/ mə-HUR-shə-lə; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world 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 Crossing Jordan (2001–02) and Threat Matrix (2003–04), before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400 (2004–07). His first major film role was in the David Fincher-directed fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). He gained wider attention for supporting roles in the final two films of the original The Hunger Games film series and in House of Cards, for which he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as a drug dealer in the drama Moonlight (2016) and as Don Shirley in the comedy-drama Green Book (2018). He is the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category and the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars. Ali won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for executive producing We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (2020).
In 2019, he played a troubled police officer in the third season of the HBO anthology crime series True Detective, and in 2020, he starred in the second season of the Hulu comedy-drama series Ramy. He was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for both performances. Ali has also played Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in the first season of the Netflix series Luke Cage (2016) and voiced Aaron Davis in the animated films Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).
Description above from the Wikipedia article Mahershala Ali, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
After pursuing an MFA degree from New York University, Ali began his career as a regular on television series Crossing Jordan (2001–02) and Threat Matrix (2003–04), before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400 (2004–07). His first major film role was in the David Fincher-directed fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). He gained wider attention for supporting roles in the final two films of the original The Hunger Games film series and in House of Cards, for which he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.
Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as a drug dealer in the drama Moonlight (2016) and as Don Shirley in the comedy-drama Green Book (2018). He is the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category and the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars. Ali won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for executive producing We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (2020).
In 2019, he played a troubled police officer in the third season of the HBO anthology crime series True Detective, and in 2020, he starred in the second season of the Hulu comedy-drama series Ramy. He was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for both performances. Ali has also played Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in the first season of the Netflix series Luke Cage (2016) and voiced Aaron Davis in the animated films Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).
Description above from the Wikipedia article Mahershala Ali, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Featured Videos
Mahershala Ali Filmography
| 2027 | Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse · as Uncle Aaron (voice) |
| 2026 | Wildwood · as Brenden (voice) |
| 2025 | Jurassic World: Rebirth · as Duncan Kincaid |
| 2023 | Leave the World Behind · as G.h. Scott |
| 2023 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse · as Uncle Aaron (voice) |
| 2021 | Swan Song · as Cameron Turner |
| 2021 | Eternals · as Eric Brooks / Blade (voice) (uncredited) |
| 2021 | Invincible (TV Series) · as Titan (voice) |
| 2020 | |
| 2020 | A World of Calm (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 2019 | Ramy (TV Series) · as Sheikh Ali Malik |
| 2019 | Alita: Battle Angel · as Vector |
| 2018 | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse · as Uncle Aaron (voice) |
| 2018 | Green Book · as Dr. Don Shirley |
| 2017 | Comrade Detective (TV Series) · as Coach |
| 2017 | Room 104 (TV Series) · as Franco |
| 2017 | Roxanne Roxanne · as Cross |
| 2016 | Hidden Figures · as Jim Johnson |
| 2016 | Moonlight · as Juan |
| 2016 | Marvel's Luke Cage (TV Series) · as Cornell 'cottonmouth' Stokes |
| 2016 | Kicks · as Marlon |
| 2016 | Free State of Jones · as Moses Washington |
| 2016 | Gubagude Ko · as Ochoro |
| 2016 | Race for the White House (TV Series) · as Narrator |
| 2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 · as Boggs |
| 2014 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 · as Boggs |
| 2014 | |
| 2014 | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (TV Series) · as City Hall Informant |
| 2014 | True Detective (TV Series) · as Wayne Hays |
| 2013 | Go for Sisters · as Dez |
| 2013 | House of Cards (US) (TV Series) · as Remy Danton |
| 2012 | The Place Beyond the Pines · as Kofi Kancam |
| 2012 | Alcatraz (TV Series) · as Clarence Montgomery |
| 2011 | Alphas (TV Series) · as Nathan Clay |
| 2010 | Predators Motion Comics: Moment of Extraction · as Mombasa (voice) |
| 2010 | Predators · as Mombasa |
| 2010 | All Signs of Death · as Gabe |
| 2010 | Treme (TV Series) · as Anthony King |
| 2010 | The Wronged Man · as Calvin Willis |
| 2009 | Crossing Over · as Detective Strickland |
| 2009 | Lie to Me (TV Series) · as Detective Hughes |
| 2008 | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button · as Tizzy Weathers |
| 2004 | The 4400 (TV Series) · as Richard Tyler |
| 2003 | The Handler (TV Series) · as Cast |
| 2003 | Threat Matrix (TV Series) · as Jelani Harper |
| 2003 | Taste the Revolution · as Mac Laslow |
| 2002 | Haunted (TV Series) · as Alex Dalcour |
| 2001 | Crossing Jordan (TV Series) · as Trey Sanders |
| 2000 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (TV Series) · as Tombs' Security Guard |
| 1999 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) · as Mark Foster |
| 1993 | NYPD Blue (TV Series) · as Rashard Coleman |
| 2025 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | The Oscars · as Self - Presenter |
| 2023 | Chimp Empire (TV Series) · as Self - Narrator (voice) |
| 2023 | Stand · as Self - Actor |
| 2021 | Amend: The Fight for America (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self - Nominee |
| 2020 | The Oscars · as Self - Presenter |
| 2020 | |
| 2019 | The 71st Primetime Emmy Awards · as Self - Nominee |
| 2019 | |
| 2019 | The Oscars · as Self - Winner |
| 2019 | 2019 EE British Academy Film Awards · as Self - Winner |
| 2019 | The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards · as Self - Winner |
| 2019 | 2019 Golden Globe Awards · as Self - Winner |
| 2018 | Stand Up To Cancer · as Self |
| 2018 | The Oscars · as Self - Presenter |
| 2017 | The Oscars · as Self - Winner |
| 2017 | The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards · as Self - Winner |
| 2017 | The 74th Annual Golden Globe Awards 2017 · as Self - Nominee |
| 2016 | Stand Up to Cancer (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2016 | |
| 2015 | The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2015 | The Late Late Show with James Corden (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2015 | The Mockingjay Lives: The Making of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 · as Self - Boggs |
| 2015 | The 21st Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards · as Self - Opening Remarks |
| 2014 | Variety: Actors on Actors (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2014 | The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2012 | CBS Mornings (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2011 | Sneaker Shopping (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button · as Self |
| 2007 | The Graham Norton Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2005 | Made In Hollywood (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2005 | Entertainment Tonight Canada (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | The Ellen DeGeneres Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1997 | The View (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | Access Hollywood (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | The Daily Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1995 | E! Live from the Red Carpet (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1994 | WGN Morning News (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1994 | Extra (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1994 | Sidewalks Entertainment (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1992 | ARD-Morgenmagazin (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1988 | LIVE with Kelly and Mark (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1981 | Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1979 | SAG Foundation Conversations (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1975 | Good Morning America (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1973 | AFI Life Achievement Award (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1971 | Film (TV Series) · as Self - Interviewee |
| 1953 | The Academy Awards (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1952 | Today (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2021 | |
| 2020 | We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest · as Executive Producer |
| 2003 | Taste the Revolution · as Executive Producer |