Mahershala Ali

Sometimes, the love of performing runs in a family. Phillip Gilmore was eighteen when his son was born, and eventually he left the family and moved to New York to pursue a career as a dancer. Playbill lists him as having played assorted understudies in Dreamgirls and Five Guys Named Moe. He was one of the Roseland dancers in Malcolm X, his only credit on IMDb. He apparently was a member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, though the information there is spotty. He died at the age of 38 in 1994, while his son was still in college. His son would, however, go on to win two Oscars. So far.

Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore was named after the Prophet Isaiah’s second son; his mother and maternal grandmother were both ordained Baptist ministers. He converted to Islam in 2000 and changed his last name to Ali; he shortened his first name in 2010—because it doesn’t fit easily on movie posters, and he didn’t want to go as M. Ali. (There already is one, after all.) He also recorded rap as Prince Ali. He has a BA in mass communication from St. Mary’s College of California and an MA in acting from the Tisch School of the Arts.

And, yes, I first encountered him as Mahershalalhashbaz. He did nineteen season-one episodes as Dr. Trey Sanders, who vocally doesn’t date white women but has a flirtation with Jordan. He is also acknowledged to be a damn fine pathologist despite a father who’s disappointed in that as Trey’s chosen field of medicine. It’s not the deepest role on the show, but it’s first season, and the show was still finding its feet. I don’t know why he left the show, possibly to pursue wider options, but he was damn good on it and clearly already someone worth watching.

Not that everything he’s done is similarly worth watching. So sure, I like Luke Cage and think he was doing good work there. But I haven’t seen Green Book and don’t intend to, Oscar notwithstanding. Likewise I will not be watching Alita: Battle Angel. I have seen The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and didn’t like it. And there’s the odd spattering of things I’ve never even heard of, under both versions of his name. I never have gotten around to the various Hunger Games movies, though I did read all the books.

But there is, of course, Moonlight. Hidden Figures. The Spider-Verse movies. And even in the things I’ve seen and not cared for, he’s never the problem. Will Blade ever happen, and will it happen while he’s still of an age to star? Gods alone know, and we can but hope. But even if it doesn’t, there are more roles coming for him. No, winning an Oscar, nor even winning two, doesn’t mean writing your own ticket. But my goodness he’s a talented actor, and I’d consider casting him for all kinds of roles; he’s assuredly capable of them.