Actor
Mahershala Ali
52 years · Oakland, California, USA · 34 films
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.
Coming next
Best known for
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2018 · Uncle Aaron (voice)
On Netflix
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
2014 · Boggs
On Hulu
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
2008 · Tizzy Weathers
On Kanopy
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
2015 · Boggs
On Hulu
Green Book
2018 · Dr. Don Shirley
On Netflix
Hidden Figures
2016 · Jim Johnson
On HBO Max
Filmography 33
Wildwood
2026 · Brenden (voice)
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
2026 · Latif
Jurassic World Rebirth: The Making of a New Era
2025 · Self
Jurassic World Rebirth
2025 · Duncan Kincaid
On Netflix
Leave the World Behind
2023 · G.H. Scott
On Netflix
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
2023 · Uncle Aaron (voice)
On FXNow
Stand
2023 · Self - Actor
On Paramount Plus Premium
Swan Song
2021 · Cameron Turner, Producer
On Apple TV
Eternals
2021 · Eric Brooks / Blade (voice) (uncredited)
On Disney Plus
Between the World and Me
2020 · Actor
On HBO Max
Alita: Battle Angel
2019 · Vector
On FXNow
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2018 · Uncle Aaron (voice)
On Netflix
Green Book
2018 · Dr. Don Shirley
On Netflix
Roxanne Roxanne
2017 · Cross
On Netflix
Hidden Figures
2016 · Jim Johnson
On HBO Max
Moonlight
2016 · Juan
On Netflix
Kicks
2016 · Marlon
On YouTube Free
Free State of Jones
2016 · Moses Washington
On PBS
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
2015 · Boggs
On Hulu
The Mockingjay Lives: The Making of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
2015 · Self - Boggs
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
2014 · Boggs
On Hulu
Supremacy
2014 · Deputy Rivers
On Plex
Go for Sisters
2013 · Dez
The Place Beyond the Pines
2013 · Kofi Kancam
On YouTube Free