Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali (born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore; February 16, 1974) is an American actor and rapper. He is best known for his roles in The 4400 (2004–2007), Predators (2010), House of Cards (2013–2016), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015), Moonlight (2016) and Green Book (2018). He has won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight and Green Book. He was the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.^[1]

Ali in September 2016

Ali was born in Oakland, California. He is the son of Willicia and Phillip Gilmore. He grew up in Hayward, California. He is an Ahmadi Muslim. He is married to Amatus Sami-Karim. They have a daughter, Bari Najma (born February 22, 2017).^[2]