Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali, born February 16, 1974, in Oakland, California, and raised in Hayward, California, is a two-time Academy Award winner and one of the most respected dramatic actors working in American cinema and television, a performer of exceptional intelligence, controlled intensity, and spiritual depth whose work across film, television, and stage has consistently demonstrated a range from gentle, heartbreaking vulnerability to commanding, threatening authority. He grew up in a Muslim household — he converted to Islam in 1999 and has spoken about the role his faith plays in his approach to his craft — and attended Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, where he studied acting and also played on the college basketball team, an athleticism that gives his physical presence on screen a particular authority. He studied acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, earning an MFA, and built his early career in regional theater before breaking into television in a recurring role in The 4400 (2004–2007). He gained wide notice through his portrayal of the politician Frank Underwood's gay advisor Remy Danton in Netflix's House of Cards (2013–2016) and his scene-stealing performance as the drug kingpin Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes in the Netflix Marvel series Luke Cage (2016). His first Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actor, came for Moonlight (2016), Barry Jenkins's extraordinary coming-of-age triptych in which Ali played Juan, the drug dealer who becomes a surrogate father figure to the film's protagonist Chiron — a performance of devastating warmth and complexity in a film that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His second Oscar, also for Best Supporting Actor, came for Green Book (2018), Peter Farrelly's road movie in which he played the pianist Don Shirley opposite Viggo Mortensen, demonstrating a regal dignity and musical authority. Additional acclaimed work includes Alita: Battle Angel (2019), True Detective Season 3 (2019, for which he received an Emmy nomination), Swan Song (2021), and the MCU's Blade franchise.