Photo: Gordon Correll / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Mahershala Ali is a television actor, film actor and stage actor, born on February 16, 1974 in Oakland, California, United States. As of 2026, Mahershala Ali is 52 years old. Schooling on record includes Mount Eden High School and Saint Mary's College of California. Awards on record include Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (2017, 2019), Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (2019).
My Take
Mahershala Ali is my favorite kind of actor: one who wins scenes through stillness. A former college basketball player from Oakland, he came up through stage and television before two supporting-actor Oscars in three years confirmed what attentive viewers already knew. What fascinates me is his economy; he can shift a film's emotional center with a glance or a measured pause, which is why The New York Times naming him among the century's greatest actors felt overdue rather than generous. He elevates everything he appears in, and I suspect his best leading work is still ahead of him. Few performers carry that much dignity so effortlessly on screen.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mahershala Ali
- Name (Japanese)
- マハーシャラルハズバズ・アリ
- Reading
- まはーしゃらるはずばず・あり
- Born
- February 16, 1974 (age 52)
- Origin
- Oakland, California, United States
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / stage actor / actor / basketball player
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Tiger
2. Background
- High school
- Mount Eden High School
- University
- Saint Mary's College of California
Awards & achievements
- 2017 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
- 2019 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
- Golden Globe Awards
- 2019 BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Mahershala Ali born?
Born February 16, 1974 (age 52).
Where is Mahershala Ali from?
Mahershala Ali is from Oakland, California, United States.
What does Mahershala Ali do?
Mahershala Ali works as television actor, film actor, stage actor, actor, basketball player.
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from the United States →