Mahershala Ali

Born

February 16, 1974

From

Oakland, California, USA

Also:
Producer

Credits on file

Decades active

Awards

Upcoming

In short · Acting since 1999, 4 decades active, 45 credits, 2 Academy Award wins.

Known for

Ranked by community engagement + sustained interest across this person's credits in our database.

Now & next

2027
Upcoming
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Jul 21
In the news
Kevin Feige calls himself a “gigantic loser” over Blade setback
“Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he feels like a “gigantic loser” after the studio failed to move forward with a new Blade film starring Mahershala Ali. The project, which entered development in 2019 and saw several director and writer changes, was ultimately removed from Marvel’s schedule in 2024. Feige’s comments highlight ongoing challenges within the MCU’s expansion plans and contrast with recent announcements that other characters, such as Wesley Snipes’ Blade cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine, are moving ahead. Ali has publicly expressed interest in playing Blade, but no further updates have been confirmed.”
Jul 3
In the news
Edgar Ramirez Joins HBO's 'Task' Season 2
“Edgar Ramirez has been cast in HBO's 'Task' Season 2, joining returning star Mark Ruffalo and new additions Mahershala Ali, Harry Melling, Adam Nagaitis, and Aminah Nieves. The season follows Tom Brandis, played by Ruffalo, as he takes on a new leadership role. This expansion of the cast signals a significant development for the upcoming season, which is expected to build on the success of the first.”
2018
Award win
Academy Awards — Oscar — Actor in a Supporting Role
2016
Award win
Academy Awards — Oscar — Actor in a Supporting Role

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Biography

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).

Filmography · 39 of 39

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