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Mahershala Ali

Highest Rated: 98% Moonlight (2016)

Lowest Rated: 48% Free State of Jones (2016)

Birthday: Feb 16, 1974

Birthplace: Oakland, California, USA

Mahershala Ali was born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on Feb. 16, 1974 in Oakland, CA. He enrolled in St. Mary's College of California on a basketball scholarship, but his passions switched from athletics to acting over the course of his tenure. Following graduation, Ali earned an apprenticeship at the California Shakespeare Theater, and then pursued a Master's degree in acting at New York University. One of Ali's earliest professional roles was that of Dr. Trey Sanders on the series "Crossing Jordan" (NBC 2001-07), shortly after which he starred on "The 4400" (USA 2004-07) as Richard Tyler. Around this time, Ali experimented with a rapping career, releasing the album Curb Side Service (2007) under the stage name Prince Ali. Ali then pursued acting on the big screen; one of his earliest major roles was in David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (2008), which he followed up with parts in the likes of "Crossing Over" (2009) and "Predators" (2010). Back on television, Ali lent his talents to "Treme" (HBO 2010-13) and "House of Cards" (Netflix 2013-), keeping one foot in the realm of cinema for the likes of "The Place Beyond the Pines" (2012) and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1" (2014) and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" (2015) all the while. His name really began to accrue attention as time went on; Ali earned his first ever Oscar nomination and victory thanks to his supporting role in "Moonlight" (2016), in which he played a kindhearted drug dealer and the surrogate father to a young boy hiding his homosexuality. That same year, Ali costarred on the superhero series "Luke Cage" (Netflix, 2016-18) as villain Cottonmouth Stokes. Two years later, Ali starred in the dramatic film "Green Book" (2018) and lent his voice to the animated movie "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018). Around the same time, Ali was also cast as the lead of the third season of the anthology series "True Detective" (HBO 2014-), and starred in the "Alita: Battle Angel" (2019) feature film.

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Highest rated movies

98% 79% Moonlight Watchlist 97% 94% Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Watchlist
93% 93% Hidden Figures
Watchlist
85% 73% Kicks Watchlist 80% 75% Swan Song Watchlist
79% 75% The Place Beyond the Pines
Watchlist
77% 91% Green Book Watchlist 74% 36% Leave the World Behind Watchlist 72% 80% The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Watchlist 70% 66% The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet Jurassic World Rebirth Duncan Kincaid (Character) - 2025
No Score Yet No Score Yet Blade Blade (Character) - 2025
No Score Yet No Score Yet Wildwood Unknown (Voice) - 2024
74% 36% Leave the World Behind G. H. Scott (Character) - 2023
No Score Yet 96% Stand Self - 2023
80% 75% Swan Song Cameron (Character),
Producer
- 2021
61% 91% Alita: Battle Angel Vector (Character) $85.8M 2019
97% 94% Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Uncle Aaron/The Prowler (Voice) $190.2M 2018
77% 91% Green Book Dr. Donald Shirley (Character) $85.1M 2018
68% 63% Roxanne Roxanne Cross (Character) - 2017
93% 93% Hidden Figures Jim Johnson (Character) $169.3M 2016
98% 79% Moonlight Juan (Character) $27.9M 2016
85% 73% Kicks Marlon (Character) $145.4K 2016
48% 64% Free State of Jones Moses (Character) $20.8M 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Gubagude Ko Ochoro (Character) - 2016
70% 66% The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 Boggs (Character) $281.7M 2015
69% 71% The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 Boggs (Character) - 2014
79% 75% The Place Beyond the Pines Kofi (Character) $21.4M 2012
No Score Yet 53% The Wronged Man Calvin Willis (Character) - 2010
65% 52% Predators Mombasa (Character) $52.0M 2010
72% 80% The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Tizzy (Character) $127.5M 2008

TV

Credit
79% 58% True Detective Wayne Hays (Character) 2019 2024
No Score Yet 42% Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest 2017 2019 2023
100% 98% Chimp Empire Narrator 2023
94% 83% Ramy Sheikh Malik (Character) 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Variety Studio: Actors on Actors Guest 2017 2019 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2019 2022
100% 88% Amend: The Fight for America Self 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet A World of Calm Narrator 2020
No Score Yet 18% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter Guest 2017 2019
88% 54% Room 104 Unknown (Character) 2018
No Score Yet 44% The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Guest 2018
No Score Yet 12% The View Guest 2018
85% 88% Comrade Detective Coach (Guest Voice) 2017
No Score Yet 50% The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Guest 2016
87% 71% Marvel's Luke Cage Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes (Character) 2016
No Score Yet 81% Last Week Tonight With John Oliver Reporter (Guest Star) 2016
77% 76% House of Cards Remy Danton (Character),
Unknown (Guest Star)
2013-2016
81% 76% Alphas Nathan Clay (Guest Star) 2011-2012
97% 87% Treme Anthony King (Guest Star) 2011-2012
60% 42% Alcatraz Unknown (Guest Star) 2012
78% 83% Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Mark Foster (Guest Star) 2009
No Score Yet 86% Lie to Me Detective Don Hughes (Guest Star) 2009
95% 87% The 4400 Richard Tyler (Character) 2004-2007
33% No Score Yet Threat Matrix Agent Jelani Harper (Character) 2003-2004
73% No Score Yet The Handler Unknown (Guest Star) 2003
No Score Yet 81% CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Tombs' Security Guard (Guest Star) 2003
No Score Yet No Score Yet Crossing Jordan Unknown (Character) 2001-2002
83% 95% NYPD Blue Rashard Coleman (Guest Star) 2002
54% No Score Yet Haunted Unknown (Guest Star) 2002