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Mahershala Ali Biography

Mahershalalhashbaz Ali Gilmore (/məˈhɜːrʃələ/; né Gilmore; February 16, 1974), known professionally as Mahershala Ali, is an American actor and rapper. Ali began his career as a regular on television series, such as Crossing Jordan and Threat Matrix, before his breakthrough role as Richard Tyler in the science fiction series The 4400.

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Mahershala Ali Quotes

I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom in my dad's existence that I enjoyed when I was around him, though the responsibility was just different. He expected me to carry myself a certain way without all the rules and confines.

Carry, Dad, Mom, Mother, Stepfather, Strict

I didn't have the passion for athletics in that way, that there were other parts of me that felt under-served and that needed to be nurtured and needed my energy.

Passion, Energy, Way, Parts, Nurtured

I've personally been on the outside sometimes. But I was - I personally was never persecuted especially in the way in which sharing my own experiences.

Persecuted, Sharing, Sometimes, Way

You are an American, so you're hurt that other American citizens have been hurt, but you end up having to shoulder the shame for something that you don't even believe. There's a lot of years where Muslims have dealt with having to make themselves very small and not disrupt the flow and not - make sure that you're not noticed because, you know, deep down inside people are not really excited that you're around.

American, Believe, Hurt, Shoulder, Years

I remember after 9
11, I started - I was working quite a bit in Vancouver. And then I realized I would go to catch my flight, and it would take me like 20 minutes to get cleared to fly, like, every time. I'm like, what is going on?

Flight, Like, Realized, Remember, Vancouver

I was fortunately able to avoid getting into any trouble with police. There was - I remember I was 12, and I did something really (laughter) - a couple of friends, Cinco de Mayo - we were off school, and we saw some people looking like they were having a party. And we had a little bit too much time on our hands, and so we figured, as kids, a great idea would be to throw some things over the fence and hit all these people with stuff, like eggs and everything.

Avoid, Couple, Laughter, Party, Throw, Trouble

I became more curious about the story behind the story [in the House of Cards]. So what was really going on behind the headline? And it's a little bit sad that that show, it doesn't seem so much like entertainment the way it did back when we started doing it.

House Of Cards, Entertainment, Stories, House, Became

The people that I admire have a wonderful balance of self-belief and humility.

Admire, Balance, Humility, People, Self, Wonderful

How do I transform and be believable as Krogstad in "A Doll's House" or Sir Peter Teazle in "A School for Scandal".

School, House, Dolls, Scandal, Believable, Transform

I think in some ways, I would go back home, and I didn't really quite fit in and couldn't - didn't have a person to bounce those experiences off of. So I felt a little bit trapped within me, and it made me feel lonely because I really couldn't - the things that were exciting to me, I couldn't really share those with another kid and that other kid understand that.

Home, Kid, Kids, Lonely, Things

Again, having - fortunately having never been in trouble. And eventually I found out that I was on a watch list.

Eventually, Found, List, Lists, Trouble, Watches

I was born in Oakland and grew up, probably about five miles from Oakland, in Hayward. And Hayward was OK. Like, Hayward wasn't - very much a working-class area and had definitely went through a decline and is now, seemingly, coming back around, which is nice to see.

Class, Coming, Grew, Like, Nice, Oakland

At the end of the day we're all spirits having a physical experience.

Day, Experience, Having, Physical, Spirit, Spirits

This is 2003, 2004. And then I started - after the Patriot Act, I would always get my financial packages in the mail and they would just be opened. And it was like, what is going on here?

Act, Financial, Like, Mail, Patriot

My father had a lot to do with me thinking about acting, though he never saw me act. He passed away probably - he passed away as I was doing my first play, but I just think being exposed to it and being around it. It wasn't something that I ever thought I couldn't do because I grew up around it.

Father, Grew, Play, Thinking, Though

My experiences growing up - my father lived in New York, so I was going out there in the summers and meeting really interesting people and people having what seemed to me to be extraordinary experiences and really taking advantage of these wonderful opportunities. And so I will go - I would go to the big city and watch these people performing onstage and doing television and films. And then I would go back to Hayward, and it just suddenly felt that much smaller and sort of limiting because I had this hyper awareness of how much larger the world was.

Growing Up, Larger, New York, Onstage, Summer, Television

My connection to music is so strong. I cling to it. I vibe out to it. I release stress to it. Music is really always close to me. It's really present in my work in terms of how I relate to characters is through rhythm and sound, even in their speech.

Strong, Stress, Character, Close, Characters

I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with [my wife] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and I just had such a strong reaction to the prayer. And I was really emotionally - I felt really grounded at that time. And so to be in this prayer and the imam is doing the prayer in Arabic and I don't understand a word of Arabic but I just remember these tears just coming down my face and it just really connecting to my spirit in a way that felt like I needed to pay attention to that.

Down, Philadelphia, Prayer, Remember, Strong, Wife

I'm not much of cook, but I cook a mean bowl of oatmeal.

Bowl, Cook, Cooks, Mean, Oatmeal

Between the two [parents], it was a really unique upbringing, I think, especially for where I was from.

Think, Thinking, Two, Unique, Upbringing

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