Biography

Mahershalalhashbaz "Mahershala" Ali (born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore; February 16, 1974) is an American actor. Ali began his career as a regular on series such as Crossing Jordan and Threat Matrix before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science-fiction series The 4400. His first major film release was in the 2008 David Fincher-directed romantic fantasy drama film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and 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 a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in Moonlight (2016) and Green Book (2018). He is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar, the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category, and the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars.