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).
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Known For
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Uncle Aaron (voice)
2027
Jurassic World Rebirth
Duncan Kincaid
2025
Leave the World Behind
G.H. Scott
2023
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Uncle Aaron (voice)
2023
Stand
Self - Actor
2023
Swan Song
Cameron Turner
2021
Eternals
Eric Brooks / Blade (voice) (uncredited)
2021
Between the World and Me
2020
Alita: Battle Angel
Vector
2019
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Uncle Aaron (voice)
2018
Green Book
Dr. Don Shirley
2018
Roxanne Roxanne
Cross
2017
Hidden Figures
Jim Johnson
2016
Moonlight
Juan
2016
Kicks
Marlon
2016
Free State of Jones
Moses Washington
2016
Gubagude Ko
Ochoro
2016
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
Boggs
2015
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
Boggs
2014
Supremacy
Deputy Rivers
2014
Go for Sisters
Dez
2013
The Place Beyond the Pines
Kofi Kancam
2013
The Wronged Man
Calvin Willis
2010
Predators
Mombasa
2010
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Tizzy Weathers
2008
Blade
Eric Brooks / Blade
Wildwood
Brenden (voice)
77 Blackout
Crossing Over
Detective Strickland
2009
The Personal History of Rachel DuPree
Isaac Dupree
All Signs of Death
Gabe
Jurassic World Rebirth: The Making of a New Era
Self
2025
Chimp Empire
Self - Narrator (voice) · (4 episodes)
2023
INVINCIBLE
Titan (voice) · (2 episodes)
2021
Amend: The Fight for America
Self · (3 episodes)
2021
A World of Calm
Narrator · (1 episode)
2020
Ramy
Sheikh Ali Malik · (6 episodes)
2019
Adnis
Adnis
2017
Marvel's Luke Cage
Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes · (6 episodes)
2016
Race for the White House
Narrator · (6 episodes)
2016
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
Self · (2 episodes)
2015
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Self · (3 episodes)
2014
House of Cards
Remy Danton · (45 episodes)
2013
Alcatraz
Clarence Montgomery · (1 episode)
2012
The Curious Birth of Benjamin Button
Self
2009
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
Room 104
Franco · (1 episode)
2017
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Self · (1 episode)
2015
The Mockingjay Lives: The Making of the Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Self (Boggs)
2015
True Detective
Wayne Hays · (8 episodes)
2014
Alphas
Nathan Clay · (12 episodes)
2011
Predators: Moments of Extraction
Mombasa (Voice)
2010
Predators: The Chosen
Mombasa
2010
Lie to Me
Detective Hughes · (1 episode)
2009
Umi's Heart
Ezra
2008
Stand Up to Cancer
Self · (1 episode)
2008
The Graham Norton Show
Self · (1 episode)
2007
The 4400
Richard Tyler · (33 episodes)
2004
Threat Matrix
Jelani Harper · (16 episodes)
2003
Taste the Revolution
Mac Laslow
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Crossing Jordan
Trey Sanders · (23 episodes)
2001
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Tombs' Security Guard · (1 episode)
2000
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Mark Foster · (1 episode)
1999
The View
Self · (1 episode)
1997
The Daily Show
Self · (1 episode)
1996
The Plot
Jake · (1 episode)
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self · (1 episode)
1973
The Oscars
Self - Presenter · (1 episode)
1953
The Oscars
Self · (2 episodes)
1953
Ali Zafar igo
From · (1 episode)