Born in Oakland, California, Mahershala Ali was raised in the neighboring city of Hayward by his parents and extended family. He played basketball for St. Mary's College in Moraga, California (just east of Berkeley), where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications. He began taking acting classes in his junior year; in his senior year, he had a featured role in the school's production of Spunk.
The summer after his graduation, Mr. Ali made his professional debut performing for a season with the California Shakespeare Festival in Orinda, California, where he also served as an apprentice. Soon after, he was accepted into graduate school at New York University, where he received a Master's degree in acting. While at NYU, he appeared in productions of Blues for an Alabama Sky, The School for Scandal, A Lie of the Mind, A Doll's House, Monkey in the Middle, The Merchant of Venice, The New Place, and Secret Injury, Secret Revenge. In Washington, D.C. he starred at the Arena Stage in the lead role of The Great White Hope; and in Minneapolis, he starred at the Guthrie Theater and in A Long Walk and Jack and Jill.
Mr. Ali made his television debut with a recurring role as Dr. Trey Sanders on the drama series Crossing Jordan. He subsequently landed a starring role as Richard Tyler, a Korean War pilot, on the sci-fi drama The 4400, which ranfor four seasons.
He starred in the title role, opposite Julia Ormond, of Tom McLoughlin's telefilm The Wronged Man, earning an NAACP Image Award nomination. Following recurring roles on Treme and Alphas, he can now be seen in one on the highly anticipated House of Cards, with Kevin Spacey and executive-produced by David Fincher.
Mr. Ali first worked with the latter director on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson. His other feature credits include Nimród Antal's Predators and Wayne Kramer's Crossing Over. He can be seen in Deon Taylor's Supremacy, with Anson Mount, Danny Glover, and Derek Luke; and John Sayles' Go for Sisters, with Isaiah Washington and LisaGay Hamilton.
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