Trivia

Received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Drama from the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University (2000).

With his Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor for the drama film Green Book. Una amistad sin fronteras (2018), Mahershala Ali becomes the first black actor (male or female) to win twice in the supporting category. He is also the second black person (male or female) to win two competitive Oscars for acting--the first being Denzel Washington who won in both the lead and supporting categories.

The name "Mahershalalhashbaz" is from the Book of Isaiah (chapter 8, verse 3) in the Hebrew Bible. It is the longest proper name (ordered by God to be given to the newborn prophet's son) that appears in the Bible and is, actually, a combination of four words: "Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz", meaning "Hurry to the spoils!" or "He has made haste to the plunder!".

His Oscar win for the drama film Luz de luna (2016) marked the first time a Muslim actor has won an Academy Award.

Is a respected rapper in the hip hop community, having collaborated and performed with notable artists such as Talib Kweli, Planet Asia, Keith Murray, and others.

Received his Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications from St. Mary's College in Moraga, California (1996).

He has appeared in four films that have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: El curioso caso de Benjamin Button (2008), Luz de luna (2016), Talentos ocultos (2016) and Green Book. Una amistad sin fronteras (2018). Moonlight and Green Book won in the category.

Has always cut his own hair ever since he was 12 years old.

Became a father for the first time at age 43 when his wife Amatus Sami-Karim gave birth to their daughter Bari Najma Ali on February 22, 2017.

He is the son of Willicia (Goines) and Phillip F. Gilmore. His father has acted and his mother is a Christian minister. Raised a Christian, Ali later converted to Islam.

Revealed during his SAG Award speech in 2017 that he is a Muslim and converted to Islam 17 years earlier. He also mentioned in the same speech that his mother is an ordained minister.

Is only one of eight actors who have a 2-0 win-loss record when nominated for an acting Oscar, his two wins for Luz de luna (2016) and Green Book. Una amistad sin fronteras (2018). The others are Luise Rainer for El gran Ziegfeld (1936) and Madre tierra (1937); Vivien Leigh for Lo que el viento se llevó (1939) and Un tranvía llamado Deseo (1951); Helen Hayes for El pecado de Madelon Claudet (1931) and Aeropuerto (1970); Kevin Spacey for Sospechosos comunes (1995) and Belleza americana (1999); Hilary Swank for Los muchachos no lloran (1999) and Golpes del destino (2004); Christoph Waltz for Bastardos sin gloria (2009) and Django sin cadenas (2012); and Adrien Brody for El pianista (2002) and El Brutalista (2024).

Won his first Academy Award only four days after becoming a father for the first time in February 2017.

One of four multiple acting Oscar winners whose wins are all in Best Picture Oscar winners (the others being Marlon Brando, Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman). Two of Jack Nicholson's three acting Oscars are in Best Picture winners.

Ali has twice played the father to children with unusual (supernatural) aging issues: as Richard Tyler in Los 4400 (2004), his character's daughter, Isabelle, goes from infancy to adulthood in a single episode, and as Tizzy in El curioso caso de Benjamin Button (2008), he plays the adoptive father of a child who is born old and ages backwards.

Mahershala's unsuccessful auditions include Brigada A - Los magníficos (2010) (for the role of B.A. Baracus) plus a role he lost out on in Game of Thrones (2011).

Shares a birthday with his Marvel co-stars Christopher Eccleston and Elizabeth Olsen.

Invited to join the Actors Branch of AMPAS in 2016.

Born at 11:40 PM (PDT).