Age: 52
male
Mahershala Ali (/məˈhɜːrʃələ/ mə-HUR-shə-lə; born Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore on February 16, 1974) is an American actor. He has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019, and in 2020, The New York Times ranked him among the 25 greatest actors of the 21st century. After pursuing an MFA degree from New York University, Ali began his career as a regular on television series Crossing Jordan (2001–02) and Threat Matrix (2003–04), before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400 (2004–07). His first major film role was in the David Fincher-directed fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008). He gained wider attention for supporting roles in the final two films of the original The Hunger Games film series and in House of Cards, for which he received his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Ali won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances as a drug dealer in the drama Moonlight (2016) and as Don Shirley in the comedy-drama Green Book (2018). He is the first Black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category and the second Black actor to win multiple acting Oscars. Ali won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program for executive producing We Are the Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest (2020). In 2019, he played a troubled police officer in the third season of the HBO anthology crime series True Detective, and in 2020, he starred in the second season of the Hulu comedy-drama series Ramy. He was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for both performances. Ali has also played Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes in the first season of the Netflix series Luke Cage (2016) and voiced Aaron Davis in the animated films Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). Description above from the Wikipedia article Mahershala Ali, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Mahershala Ali
Samuel Cook
for Samuel Cook in Soulful Serenade: The Sam Cooke Story
Suggested by kamsismith
"Soulful Serenade: The Sam Cooke Story" is an inspiring and deeply moving biopic that chronicles the life of the legendary musician, Sam Cooke. Born into a segregated America, Sam overcame the odds to become a trailblazing artist who not only changed the face of music but also played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement. The film takes viewers on a mesmerizing journey through Sam's life, from his humble beginnings in Chicago to his meteoric rise in the music industry. It delves into the soulful power of his voice, the creation of timeless hits like "A Change Is Gonna Come," and his groundbreaking decision to form his own record label, challenging the industry's racial barriers. At the heart of "Soulful Serenade" is Sam's commitment to social justice. As a black artist during the turbulent 1960s, he used his platform to champion civil rights and racial equality. The film portrays his friendships with influential figures like Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting his role as an activist and cultural icon.
