Some actors have such a dynamic screen presence and natural gravitas that you can’t help but be drawn directly into their world. Mahershala Ali is one such performer.
The Californian’s career has gone off like a rocket in recent years, running the gamut from Oscar-winning film performances to Emmy-nominated turns in celebrated dramas. He’s even set to star in the 2025 reboot of the classic Blade films should Marvel’s intended iteration ever achieve liftoff.
Whether he’s sparkling on television or wowing audiences on the big screen, seeing Ali’s name on a cast list ensures that you’ll get at least one standout performance. That said, some jewels shine brighter than others, so if you’re looking to experience the living master class that is Mahershala Ali, here’s where we think you should begin your journey.
Moonlight
Ali’s performance in this astounding coming-of-age film bagged him his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Moonlight is a slow-moving but utterly engaging film that chronicles the life of Chiron, a young, queer, Black boy (and later man) who comes to terms with his sexuality and how it fits in his image of himself as a Black man. Ali plays Juan, a drug dealer who ends up becoming somewhat of a father figure to Chiron in the moving first act of the film. Despite the character’s rough edges, Ali ensures that Juan’s humanity shines through, and you can feel the pain that he goes through as Chiron begins to reject him. Who would have thought that a crack dealer with a heart of gold would leave you in tears?
Free State of Jones
Historical dramas that focus on the American Civil War can be hit or miss, but this incredible story about what happened in Jones County, Mississippi during and after the conflict needles through the tough topics without ignoring them, leading to an enthralling watch. Matthew McConaughey stars as Newton Knight, a former confederate medic who switched sides to the one that didn’t want to enslave people, and Ali is excellent as Moses Washington, a freed man who leads of a group of former slaves that help other Black people find their way to freedom in the Deep South.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
There’s been plenty of talk about superhero fatigue plaguing recent Marvel and DC releases, but Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (and the follow up, Across the Spider-Verse) have shown that there’s still an appetite for heroes, but only if the film is actually interesting and well-made (sorry, MCU fans). The first Miles Morales outing is a high-octane, beautifully-made flick that’s as aesthetically pleasing as it is addictive to watch, and Ali’s great voice acting is vitally important to its success. He plays Miles’ uncle Aaron Davis (also Prowler), a grafitti artist who shares his love of the art with a young Miles.
Roxanne Roxanne
This musical biopic about one of the first female rappers might not stick entirely to the truth, but it certainly makes for a great watch. Roxanne Roxanne follows the incredible life of Roxanne Shante, who as a teen rose to prominence in the New York rap world and became a central figure in one of the first diss track wars in hip hop history. Chanté Adams is phenomenal in the title role, but she’s aided by a great Ali performance as James Cross, a drug dealer who became romantically entangled with the young Shante before becoming abusive.
Green Book
The horrors of segregation and the barbaric nature of the Jim Crow era remain within living memory, but films like Green Book are vital to keep this history vivid and present so it doesn’t get repeated. Ali co-stars alongside Aragorn ⏤ sorry, Viggo Mortensen ⏤ as Don Shirley and Tony Lip respectively, and both do a fine job in building tension where the script is sometimes lacking despite the rich subject matter. Shirley was a famous Black pianist and Lip was his driver and bodyguard, ensuring that he could perform in the South without fear of retribution from racist whites. The title of the film refers to The Negro Motorist Green Book, a guide to non-racist establishments in the South that Black road-trippers and motorists used to secure their safety when heading through America’s racist heartlands. Ali won his second Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his masterful portrayal of Shirley.
Ramy
This wonderfully funny series about an Egyptian-American is as insightful as it is delightful, but it carries the heft needed to tackle some of the less humorous topics that come up. Ramy Youssef stars as the eponymous character and brings a great charm to the role. Ali appears in season 2 as Sheikh Ali Malik, a calm, collected figure of authority who is the perfect comic foil to Ramy’s endearing immaturity, and he plays the part sumptuously.
Hidden Figures
Ali doesn’t have the biggest role in this biopic about three Black female mathematicians who made history, but he sparkles when he is on screen. Hidden Figures chronicles the tale of this trio of extraordinary women who played a large role in the success of the American space program: Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). Ali plays Jim Johnson, a soldier who doubts Katherine’s math abilities, before falling for and eventually marrying her. This is a heartwarming watch that also imparts some vital history lessons on the viewer.
Swan Song
Ali shows that he can do sci-fi, too, in this emotionally fraught thinker of a film from Apple TV. He takes on a heavy role as a terminally ill man who is told he can be cloned, thus saving his family from the heartache of losing him. Although the movie itself does sometimes veer into overt melancholy, Ali keeps things going with his powerhouse of a performance. With a lesser actor, this wouldn’t be worth watching, but with him front and center, the runtime simply flies.
True Detective
Ali played the lead in season 3 of this acclaimed crime series and is magnetic as state police detective Wayne Hays. The eight episodes jump between different times over a three-decade period, but Ali’s consistency and brilliance remain throughout. This particular season of the anthology follows Hays as he tries to crack the case of two missing kids. It’s a pulsating watch, driven by another mesmerizing Ali performance.
House of Cards
Ali had a major role in the first four seasons of this iconic American remake of the British political drama, which many credit with being the series that truly announced the arrival of tech companies as content makers. He plays Remy Danton, a lobbyist and lawyer who eventually becomes the president’s Chief of Staff. As always, he’s absolutely brilliant in every scene he’s in, and while we don’t condone the dubious past behavior of leading man Kevin Spacey, we think this is still worth watching if you’re an Ali fan.