Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali
Ali in 2016
Born	Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore February 16, 1974 Hayward, California, U.S.
Other names	Mahershala Karim-Ali
Alma mater	St. Mary's College of California Tisch School of the Arts
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2001–present

Mahershalalhashbaz "Mahershala" Ali (born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore; February 16, 1974) is an American actor. Ali began his career as a regular on series such as Crossing Jordan and Threat Matrix before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science-fiction series The 4400. His first major film release was in the 2008 David Fincher-directed romantic fantasy drama film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. His other notable films include Predators and The Place Beyond the Pines. He played a major role in Free State of Jones, set during and after the American Civil War.

Ali is best known for his recent roles as Remy Danton in House of Cards, Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in Netflix's TV series Luke Cage, Juan in Moonlight, and Boggs in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and its sequel, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.

Early life

Ali was born in 1974, in Oakland, California. He is named after Maher-shalal-hash-baz. Raised Christian by his mother, an ordained minister,^[1] he later converted to Islam, changing his surname from Gilmore to Ali, and joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.^[2] His father appeared on Broadway. He attended St. Mary's College of California in Moraga, where he graduated in 1996 with a degree in mass communication.

Though Ali entered SMC with a basketball scholarship, he became disenchanted with the idea of a sports career due to the treatment given to the team's athletes. Ali developed an interest in acting, particularly after taking part in a staging of Spunk that later landed him an apprenticeship at the California Shakespeare Theater following graduation. Following a sabbatic year where Ali worked for Gavin Report, he enrolled in New York University's graduate acting program, earning his master's degree in 2000.^[3]

Career

Ali is known for his portrayal of Remy Danton in the Netflix series House of Cards, Cornell Stokes in 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.

Personal life

Ali is a Muslim belonging to the Ahmadiyya sect, and is married to Amatus Sami-Karim.^[4] He has a pet cat that he named Nas, after the musician of the same name.^[5]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Making Revolution	Mac Laslow
2008	Umi's Heart	Ezra	Short film
2008	Curious Case of Benjamin Button, TheThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button	Tizzy Weathers	Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2009	Crossing Over	Det. Strickland
2010	Predators	Mombasa
2012	Place Beyond the Pines, TheThe Place Beyond the Pines	Kofi
2013	Go for Sisters	Dez
2014	Supremacy	Deputy Rivers
2014	Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, TheThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1	Boggs
2015	Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, TheThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2	Boggs
2016	Kicks	Marlon
2016	Gubagude Ko	Ochoro	Short film
2016	Free State of Jones	Moses Washington
2016	Moonlight	Juan	Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor Pending—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actor Pending—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble Pending—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
2016	Hidden Figures	Jim Johnson	Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture Pending—Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
2018	Alita: Battle Angel		Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001–02	Crossing Jordan	Dr. Trey Sanders	19 episodes
2002	Haunted	Alex Dalcour	Episode: "Abby"
2002	NYPD Blue	Rashard Coleman	Episode: "Das Boots"
2003	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Tombs' Security Guard	Episode: "Lucky Strike"
2003	Handler, TheThe Handler	N/A	Episode: "Big Stones"
2003–04	Threat Matrix	Jelani Harper	15 episodes
2004–07	4400, TheThe 4400	Richard Tyler	28 episodes
2009	Lie to Me	Det. Don Hughes	Episode: "Do No Harm"
2009	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Mark Foster	Episode: "Unstable"
2010	Wronged Man, TheThe Wronged Man	Calvin Willis	Television film Nominated—NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
2010	All Signs of Death	Gabe	Unsold TV pilot
2011	Lights Out	Death Row Reynolds	Episode: "Unaired Pilot"
2011–12	Treme	Anthony King	6 episodes
2011–12	Alphas	Nathan Clay	12 episodes
2012	Alcatraz	Clarence Montgomery	Episode: "Clarence Montgomery"
2013–16	House of Cards	Remy Danton	33 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Pending—Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series
2016	Luke Cage	Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes	7 episodes

References

1. http://www.gq.com/story/mahershala-ali-interview
2. "www.alislam.org" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-08-04.
3. "St. Mary's: Mahershala Ali".
4. "Actor Mahershala Ali: Wondering Who is This Actor Married to? Wife, Girlfriend or Gay?". Liverampup. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
5. VIERA, BENÉ. "Mahershala Ali Quit House of Cards and Became Marvel's New Villain". GQ.

External links

• Mahershala Ali at the Internet Movie Database