Ali and Karim first met while attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1997 between the time when Karim was an undergraduate student at New York University’s Experimental Theatre Wing and the time that the actor was attending graduate school to study acting. Although it would be more than a decade before the two would fully connect as a love partner, Karim had a significant impact on Ali’s life and religion from the very beginning of their connection.
Ali raved over his wife on the Death, Sex & Money podcast hosted by Slate in 2016, three years after they had tied the knot. He said, “She is extraordinarily intelligent, she is about the right things, she is spiritually grounded, and she is a beautiful person.”
In February of 2017, the couple had their first and only child, a girl named Bari Najma. This occurred just four days before Ali was awarded his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Karim had been pregnant the whole time she was on the awards circuit, and Ali acknowledged her in his address. During the course of this procedure, he expressed his gratitude to his wife, saying, “I just want to thank [my wife] for being such a soldier and [helping to] carry me through it all.”
Even though she later relocated to New York City for her undergraduate education, Karim was born in Chicago, and she spent her childhood on the South Side of the city. After some time had passed, Karim’s parents had a divorce. Her mother was a social worker, while her father was a jazz musician and imam. Karim relocated to Philadelphia with her mother after the divorce.
Who is Mahershala Ali?
Mahershala Ali is a distinguished American actor who was born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on February 16, 1974. Among the many honors that have been bestowed upon him are two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. In the year 2019, Time magazine recognized him as one of the 100 most important persons in the world. In the year 2020, The New York Times placed him among the top 25 actors of the 21st century.
Following the completion of his Master of Fine Arts degree at New York University, Ali started his career by appearing as a regular on the television shows Crossing Jordan (2001–2002) and Threat Matrix (2003–2004). It was not until his breakthrough performance as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400 (2004–2007) that Ali achieved widespread recognition. It was in the fantasy picture The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), directed by David Fincher, that he made his debut at the main film industry level. His supporting performances in the last two films of the original The Hunger Games film series, as well as his work in House of Cards, for which he got his first nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award, brought him much more notice than he had previously garnered.
Ali was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his roles as Don Shirley in the comedy-drama film Green Book (2018) and as a drug dealer in the drama Moonlight (2016). Both of these performances earned him the award. As the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category, he is also the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars. He is the first to win both of these awards. In recognition of his work as an executive producer on the film We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (2020), Ali was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children’s Program.
Mahershala Ali’s Early Life and Education
Ali’s parents, Willicia Goines and Phillip Gilmore, welcomed him into the world on February 16, 1974, in the city of Oakland, California. The name Mahershalalhashbaz, which he was given at birth, is derived from the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which was the name of the second child of the prophet Isaiah (verse 8 of the Book of Isaiah). He was brought up as a Christian in Hayward, California, by his mother, who was an appointed Baptist preacher. Ali’s mother, Evia Goines, was also an ordained pastor at Palma Ceia Baptist Church in Hayward. Ali’s mother was a member of the church’s congregation. By the time Ali was a toddler, his father had already left the family to pursue a career as a dancer. He went on to perform on Broadway until passing away in 1994.
Having been the first person in his family to attend college, Ali received his degree in mass communication from St. Mary’s College of California (SMC) in Moraga, California, in 1996. He was the first person in his family to attend college. As a member of the SMC Gaels basketball team, he was known by the moniker “Hershal Gilmore” and received a scholarship to attend SMC for his basketball studies. He developed an interest in acting, particularly after taking part in a staging of Spunk, which later led to him being offered an apprenticeship at the California Shakespeare Theater after he graduated from high school. He became disenchanted with the idea of pursuing a career in sports as a result of the treatment that was given to the athletes on the team. Following a year of sabbatical dedicated to working for Gavin Report, he went on to enroll in the graduate acting program at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he ultimately earned his master’s degree in the year 2000.
Mahershala Ali’s Personal and Professional Life
Ali joined to Ahmadiyya Islam in 2000, and his surname changed from Gilmore to Ali. In interviews, he claimed being subjected to racial profiling at airports and banks after the September 11 attacks. He’s married to Amatus Sami-Karim, an actress and singer. Their first child, a girl, was born in February 2017.
Ali is a huge fan of hip hop and has stated in interviews that his favorite artists include Cambatta, Planet Asia, Skyzoo, Blu, Ka, Roc Marciano, Mach-Hommy, Pink Siifu, Fly Anakin & Mutant Academy, Mick Jenkins, Sage Elsesser, EARTHGANG, Benny The Butcher, Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn, Hus Kingpin, and SmooVth.
In October 2023, Ali signed the Artists4Ceasefire letter, which called for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict. In January 2024, he demonstrated his continued support for Palestinians in Gaza by reading the poem “Longing for Haifa” by Palestinian poet Mohammed al-Qudwa in a social media video and urged his fans to contribute to al-Qudwa’s fundraising so that the poet and his family may flee the Gaza Strip.
