A look at life Mahershala Ali, whose real name is Maher Shalal Hashabez Gilmore, was born on February 16, 1974 in Oakland, California. His parents, Willicia and Phillip Gilmore, named him after the second son of the prophet Isaiah. Mahershala spent his childhood and teenage years in Hayward city and at the same time, he showed his talent in various sports, especially basketball. Basketball is his sport He then went to Saint Mary’s University with a sports scholarship and became a member of the university’s basketball team, but after a while, he left this team due to dissatisfaction. Mahershala was familiar with the artistic environment from the very beginning due to his father’s occupation, who was a theater actor and even had a history of performing on Broadway, and during the summer holidays, he usually went to various projects with his father. He even wrote poetry and participated in various literary competitions and poetry nights.
Entry into acting It was at this time that he became interested in acting and decided to release his artistic emotions in this field. So it happened that he played a role in one of George C. Wolf’s theatrical productions titled Spunk. In 1996, Mahershala joined the California Shakespeare Theater after graduating from St. Mary’s University with a degree in Social Communication Sciences, and at the same time, he worked for the Gavin Report magazine, specializing in radio. Later, he was accepted in the New York University entrance exam in the field of acting and in 2000, he received his master’s degree from this university.
September 11 attacks He, who was placed on the watch list of the American Federal Police after the September 11th attacks, criticized the bad conditions of Muslims in America in an interview and said: As a black man, I am not surprised to see anti-Islamic prejudice. If you convert to Islam after living in America for decades as a black man, you will not be surprised to face discrimination as a Muslim. Being black, I have been stopped many times while driving by the police and asked where is your gun? These discriminations will be new for Muslims, but they are not new for us. My wife stopped wearing hijab after several other unpleasant experiences in New York. He no longer felt safe. The actress, while accepting the Screen Actors Guild Award in January 2017, spoke out against Trump’s executive order barring certain refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States.
Oscar Award Few people knew Mahershala Ali before receiving the Oscar award, but Mahershala’s life was turned upside down by receiving the Oscar award for the best supporting actor in the movie “Mohtab” and became one of the famous Muslim celebrities. Ali also became famous for his brilliant performance in the films “Hidden Figures” and “Khane Poshali”. 25 years ago in 1999, he converted to Islam. He is one of the critics of the anti-Islamist policies of the American government. Among the films or TV shows in which he has played a role, we can mention The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 4400, Marauders, A Place Beyond the Pines, The Green Book, and the TV series The Hidden House. At the 89th Academy Awards, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie Moonlight. The first Muslim to win the award He is the first black Muslim actor to win an Oscar. At the 91st Academy Awards, he won the Best Supporting Actor award for the movie Green Book. He has also been nominated for the Best Actor in a Drama Award at the 79th Golden Globe Awards for his role in the movie Swan Song.