Mahershala Ali
Mahershala Ali (born February 16, 1974, Oakland, California) is the American actor who won two Best Supporting Actor Oscars, for Moonlight and Green Book. In fall 2026 he leads Bassam Tariq's hitman drama Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, months after confirming he has left Marvel's long-stalled Blade. Sources: Wikipedia, Variety.
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Where does Mahershala Ali live?
He has not publicly confirmed where he lives today, and he keeps his home life private, so this page gives no address. What is documented is his origin: he was born in Oakland and raised in Hayward, in California's Bay Area, and he trained as an actor in New York (NYU, MFA 2000). His film and TV work is concentrated in the US industry hubs, but his exact residence is not public. Source: Wikipedia.
What is Mahershala Ali's nationality?
Mahershala Ali is American. He was born in Oakland, California, grew up in nearby Hayward and has spent his whole career in the US film and television industry. Source: Wikipedia.
How old is Mahershala Ali?
He was born on February 16, 1974, which makes him 52 years old as of October 2026. He turns 53 in February 2027. Source: Wikipedia.
How tall is Mahershala Ali?
He is commonly reported at about 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m). That figure circulates widely in entertainment databases but has not been officially confirmed by the actor or his representatives, so treat it as a reported height rather than a verified one. His college basketball background fits the frame. Source: commonly reported (entertainment databases).
How many Oscars has Mahershala Ali won?
Two, both for Best Supporting Actor: as Juan, the drug dealer who mentors a boy in Moonlight (2016), and as pianist Don Shirley in Green Book (2018). Moonlight made him the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. Green Book also earned him a Golden Globe. Sources: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Wikipedia.
Is Mahershala Ali Muslim?
Yes. He was raised a Christian by his mother, converted to Islam in 2000 and has belonged to the Ahmadiyya Muslim community since 2001. His faith became part of the public conversation in 2017, when his Moonlight win made him the first Muslim actor to receive an Academy Award. Source: Wikipedia.
What is Mahershala Ali's real name?
He was born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore. His first name comes from a biblical name, and he took the surname Ali after converting to Islam. In college basketball he played under the name "Hershal Gilmore". Source: Wikipedia.
Who is Mahershala Ali's wife?
He has been married since 2013 to Amatus Sami-Karim, an artist. The couple have one daughter, born in February 2017, days before Ali won his first Oscar. They keep their family life largely out of the press. Source: Wikipedia.
Is Mahershala Ali still Blade?
No. He was announced as Marvel's new Blade at San Diego Comic-Con in 2019, but the film spent years in development hell, cycling through directors and scripts without shooting. In July 2026 Ali confirmed he had left the project. Reviews of his new film Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother have often framed it as the action lead role Marvel never delivered. Sources: Wikipedia, CinemaBlend, Inverse.
What is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother about?
It is a 2026 crime drama directed by Bassam Tariq in which Ali plays Latif, a devout Muslim father who also works as a hit man, torn between faith, family and his violent trade. It premiered at TIFF in September 2026, opened in limited release on September 25 and expanded on October 2, 2026. Early reviews have been strongly positive, with the Boston Globe calling his performance towering. Ali discussed the film on NPR's Fresh Air on October 12, 2026. Sources: Boston Globe, SlashFilm, NPR.
Is Mahershala Ali in Task season 2?
Yes. Variety reported in March 2026 that he joined season 2 of HBO's Task, opposite Mark Ruffalo, as DEA agent Eddie Barnes. No premiere date had been confirmed at the time of writing. Source: Variety.
Did Mahershala Ali play college basketball?
Yes. He attended Saint Mary's College of California on a basketball scholarship, playing as "Hershal Gilmore", and graduated with a BA in mass communication in 1996. He then turned to acting and earned an MFA from New York University in 2000. Source: Wikipedia.
What is Mahershala Ali famous for?
Beyond his two Oscar roles, he is known for lobbyist Remy Danton in House of Cards, Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in Marvel's Luke Cage, Colonel Jim Johnson in Hidden Figures, detective Wayne Hays in True Detective season 3 and Sheikh Ali in Ramy. He has Emmy nominations for House of Cards, True Detective, Ramy and as narrator of the documentary series Chimp Empire. Sources: Television Academy, Wikipedia.
What movies is Mahershala Ali in next?
After Jurassic World Rebirth (2025), where he played mercenary Duncan Kincaid, his slate includes Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (2026), a voice role in the animated Wildwood (2026), the voice of Aaron Davis (the Prowler) in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027) and season 2 of HBO's Task. Sources: Wikipedia, Variety.
What is Mahershala Ali's net worth?
There is no verified figure. Celebrity Net Worth estimates it at around $12 million, while lower-quality sites quote anything up to $20 million. He has never disclosed his finances, so treat any number as a rough third-party estimate. Source: Celebrity Net Worth (estimate).
Mahershala Ali is one of the most decorated actors of his generation: a two-time Oscar winner whose quiet, controlled screen presence has made him a fixture of prestige film and television for a decade. Born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore in Oakland, California, on February 16, 1974, and raised in Hayward by his mother, he first went to Saint Mary’s College of California on a basketball scholarship before switching to acting and earning an MFA from NYU in 2000.
His rise ran through television. He played lobbyist Remy Danton in House of Cards, then the villain Cottonmouth in Marvel’s Luke Cage, and in 2016 had a remarkable run: Hidden Figures and Moonlight. As Juan, the drug dealer who becomes a father figure to a lonely boy, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, becoming the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. Two years later he won the same award, plus a Golden Globe, for playing pianist Don Shirley in Green Book. True Detective season 3, Ramy and the narration of Chimp Empire brought further Emmy nominations.
The big-franchise chapter has been bumpier. Marvel cast him as Blade in 2019, but the reboot stalled for years, and in July 2026 Ali confirmed he had walked away. He has kept working at scale anyway, as mercenary Duncan Kincaid in Jurassic World Rebirth (2025), and he has upcoming voice roles in Wildwood and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027), plus the role of DEA agent Eddie Barnes in season 2 of HBO’s Task alongside Mark Ruffalo.
The reason he is trending now is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, Bassam Tariq’s 2026 drama in which he plays Latif, a devout Muslim father who is also a hit man. After a TIFF premiere in September, it opened in limited release on September 25 and widened on October 2, with critics praising his performance and many reading it as the action-lead role Blade never gave him. He talked through the film on NPR’s Fresh Air on October 12.
Off screen, Ali is a practicing Ahmadi Muslim (he converted in 2000) and has been married to artist Amatus Sami-Karim since 2013; they have one daughter, born in 2017. He keeps his private life, including where he lives, out of the public eye. Sources: Wikipedia, Variety, Boston Globe, NPR, CinemaBlend.
