Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore was born on February 16, 1974 in Oakland, California. He was raised in Hayward, near San Francisco bay area. He is an American actor who converted to Islam and changed his title from Gilmore to Karim Ali.
He is fondly called Ali. He is a member of Ahamdivya Muslim Community. He is named after Maher-shalal-hash-baz, a biblical Prophetic-name.
Family of Mahershala Ali:
Willicia Gilmore is the mother of Mahershala Ali, who is an ordained minister and raised him as a Christian. Philip Gilmore is the father of Mahershala Ali. He also made an appearance on Broadway.
Wife of Mahershala Ali:
Amatus Sami-Karim is the wife of Mahershala Ali who is a singer and artist. She is a graduate from Tisch School of the Arts and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. The couple got married in 2013 and had been friends for 20 years before tying the knot. They studied together at New York University. They are now expecting their first child. The couple also has a pet cat called Nas, after the musician.
Early Life and Education:
He got a basketball scholarship that paid for his education. Later, he lost interest in basketball and developed a passion for acting. He attended St. Mary’s College in Moraga and graduated in 1996 with a degree in mass communication. He took a leave before graduation and worked for the Gavin Report which was a record industry publication Report. In the year 2000, he graduated from New York University with his Master’s degree in acting program.
He appeared in George C. Wolfe’s Spunk during his senior college year. He also appeared in the lead in the movie Making Revolution and a play The Great White Hope. He was selected for an apprenticeship at California Shakespeare Theatre after his graduation. He made his professional debut performing with the California Shakespeare Festival held at Orinda.
Career:
He made his debut with the character of Dr. Trey in Crossing Jordan in the year 2001 followed by Threat Matrix. After which, he starred as Richard Tyler in the series 4400 which gained him a remarkable recognition. His major film released in the year 2008 which was called The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Other films of him that gained appreciation are Predators, Crossing Over, The Hunger Games, etc. He is also a TV regular and is known for his role in House of cards. He was one of the most talked about actors in 2016. During his early career days he also acted in series like Law and Order: SVU, CSI, etc.
Mahershala has won appreciation for his roles in the series ‘Luke cage’ and in the movie ‘Moonlight’.
His emotional performance in Moonlight where he played the character of a drug dealer who later becomes a father figure has been rated the best till date and earned him various nominations and awards. He also made a remarkable appearance on the TV movie The Wronged Man in the year 2010. Currently he is working for a James Cameron film, Alita: Battle Angel co-starring Christophe Waltz.
Achievements:
In 2016, he won the best supporting actor for Moonlight.
He was nominated for Best supporting Actor at 89th Academy Awards in the year 2017.
He also won the Screen Actors Guild, African- American Film Critics Association award for Moonlight.
He received an Emmy nomination in 2016 for House of Cards.
Apart from these, he was also nominated for various awards 23 times.
Net Worth of Mahershala Ali:
Mahershla Ali’s net worth is $4 million. He lives currently in United States and holds the nationality of United States.