Age: 45
Tatyana Ali
Age: 45
Tatyana Marisol Ali (born January 24, 1979) is an American actress, model and R&B singer, who is best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. From 2010 to 2012, she starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original sitcom Love That Girl!, and has had a recurring role as Roxanne on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless.
Early life
Ali was born in North Bellmore, New York, the eldest daughter (she has two younger sisters) of Sonia, a nurse, and Sheriff Ali, a police detective. Her mother is Afro-Panamanian and her father is Indo-Trinidadian.
Career
By the age of six, she had begun her acting career, as a regular child performer on Sesame Street starting in 1985, even appearing with Herbie Hancock in a musical number. She also appeared twice on Star Search. She made her breakthrough when she was cast as Ashley Banks for the television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990. She sang on various episodes of the show, including a heavily altered version of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and the original song, "Make Up Your Mind" produced by Robert Jerald of N'Spyre Music Productions. Will Smith asked her if she seriously considered pursuing a musical career. Despite her singing ability, she concentrated on her acting career on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air the next few years. In the final season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1995-96), Ali began preparing herself for her musical debut. The result was the album Kiss The Sky, which was certified gold in early 1999. The album spawned the hit song "Daydreamin'", released July 21, 1998, produced by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the UK Singles Chart.
The album spawned two further UK hits, "Boy You Knock Me Out", featuring Will Smith, which peaked at No. 3 and is her biggest hit to date; and "Everytime", which was her third top 20 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 20. She made an appearance in Smith's album Willennium for the track "Who Am I" with MC Lyte. Along with her musical career, Ali kept acting in many films. She had the chance to work with recognized film directors such as Takeshi Kitano (Brother), Rodrigo Garcia (Mother and Child), among others. In 2005, she completed work on the film Glory Road and starred in the music video for Nick Cannon and Anthony Hamilton's "Can I Live?" as Cannon's mother. In early 2008, she performed on the song "Yes We Can", a will.i.am project supporting Barack Obama's presidential campaign. She also appeared in the subsequent music video which gained coverage on the "What the Buzz" segment of ABC's World News Now.
She also performed the title song, "Sunny Valentine" along with Terrence Quaites for the indie film, Rockin' Meera directed by Param Gill in 2005. In 2009 and 2010 she produced and starred in the BET web show, Buppies. She is currently on recurring status on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Roxanne.
Ali can be seen in the show, Love That Girl! on TV One. She stars as Tyana (which comes from the last five letters of her name). When asked if the character bears any similarities to her, Ali said in a CaribPress interview, "She's a bit neurotic and I hope I am not quite like that."
"One thing that I do love about her is that she is really multidimensional," she went on to say in the same interview. "I think it's nice to have a female character that is portrayed in (a) really holistic way."
Ali also starred in Nora's Hair Salon and Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above. In 2011, Ali received the Living Legacy Award from the Caribbean Heritage Organization in Los Angeles. In 2012, Ali appeared as a guest on The Eric Andre Show. Ali's most recent role, as of January 15, 2013, is starring as Maya, along with Craig Wayans and Damien Dante Wayans, in the BET comedy, Second Generation Wayans.
In January 2014, Ali released a new EP entitled Hello, with her first single being "Wait For It", which she also performed on The Arsenio Hall Show on February 4, 2014.
Personal life
Ali attended Harvard University, where she received a bachelor's degree in African-American studies and government in 2002. She traveled the United States as a spokesperson for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and headed voter registration drives at college campuses. In 2012, she continued showing her support.
Ali was in a relationship with actor Jonathan Brandis for six years. On March 31, 2016, Ali revealed that she is currently engaged to Vaughn Rasberry, assistant professor of English at Stanford University and they are expecting their first child.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Eddie Murphy Raw | Eddie's Sister | Sketch Segment |
1988 | Crocodile Dundee II | Park Girl | |
1988 | Wow, You're a Cartoonist! | Child Cartoonist | Short film; direct-to-video release |
1997 | Fakin' da Funk | Karyn | |
1997 | Kiss the Girls | Janell Cross | |
1998 | The Clown at Midnight | Monica | |
1999 | Jawbreaker | Brenda | |
2000 | Brother | Latifa | |
2001 | The Brothers | Cherie Smith | |
2003 | National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze | Claire | |
2004 | Nora's Hair Salon | Lilleana | |
2005 | Back in the Day | Alicia Packer | |
2005 | Domino One | Laeticia Richards | |
2006 | Glory Road | Tina Malichi | |
2006 | A Warm Place | Clair Andrews | Short film |
2007 | The List | Cynthia | |
2008 | Down & Out | Short film | |
2008 | Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above | Lilleana | |
2008 | Hotel California | Jessie | |
2009 | Mother and Child | Maria | |
2010 | Pete Smalls Is Dead | Cocktail Waitress | |
2012 | Privileged | Talia | |
2012 | Dysfunctional Friends | Alex | |
2012 | Home Again | Marva Johnson | |
2013 | 24 Hour Love | Simply | |
2013 | The Last Letter | Jillian | |
2014 | Locker 13 | Lucy | |
2014 | Comeback Dad | Nima | |
2015 | November Rule | Leah |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1985/90 | Sesame Street | Tatyana | 4 episodes |
1989 | Wally and the Valentines | Jamaica Valentine | Special |
1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Michelle | Episode: "Life After Death" |
1989 | The Cosby Show | Girl | Episode: "Shall We Dance?" |
1990-96 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Ashley Banks | 148 episodes |
1992 | Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? | Herself | Episode: "The Nefarious Nobel Napper" |
1993 | Getting By | Nicole Alexander | Episode: "Turnabout Dance" |
1994 | Are You Afraid of the Dark? | Laura Turner/Connie Turner | Episode: "The Tale of the Quicksilver" |
1994 | TV's Funniest Families | Herself as a Host | Special |
1995 | In the House | Ashley Banks | Episode: "Dog Catchers" |
1996 | Living Single | Stephanie James | Episode: "Whatever Happened to Baby Sister?" |
1996 | Kidz in the Wood | Rita | |
1996 | Fall Into Darkness | Sharon McKay | |
1997 | 413 Hope St. | Kai | Episode: "Heartbeat" |
2002 | Fastlane | Shelly | Episode: "Girls Own Juice" |
2003 | Half & Half | Olivia | Episode: "The Big Condom-nation Episode" |
2007 | On the Lot | Girl | Episode: "11 Cut to 10 & 10 Directors Compete"; segment: "First Sight" |
2007-13 | The Young and the Restless | Roxanne | Recurring role; 53 episodes |
2010-12 | Love That Girl! | Tyana Jones | Lead role |
2012 | The Eric Andre Show | Herself | Episode: "Tatyana Ali" |
2013 | Second Generation Wayans | Maya | |
2013 | Dear Secret Santa | Jennifer | Movie |
2014 | The Divorce | Movie | |
2015 | Fatal Flip | Roslyn | Movie |
Discography
Albums
Year | Album | Chart |
---|---|---|
1998 | Kiss the Sky | #47 US, #41 UK |
2014 | Hello (EP) | — |
Singles
Year | Song | Album | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | "Daydreamin'" | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | — | — | Kiss the Sky |
"Boy You Knock Me Out" | — | 68 | 3 | 12 | 32 | 77 | ||
1999 | "Everytime" | 118 | 73 | 20 | — | — | — |
Awards and nominations
- Caribbean Heritage Organization
- 2011: Recipient, Living Legacy Award
- NAACP Image Awards
- 1996: Won, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 1997: Nominated, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 2010: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama - The Young and the Restless
- 2011: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series - Love That Girl!
- 2011: Won, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama - The Young and the Restless
- 2012: Won, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama - The Young and the Restless
- 2012: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series - Love That Girl!
- 2013: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series - Love That Girl!
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
- 1996: Nominated, Favorite Television Actress - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- Young Artist Awards
- 1991: Won, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 1992: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 1993: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 1994: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 1995: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series - Name Your Adventure
Charities
Tatyana Ali supports the following charitable causes: Foster Care, AIDS, Children, Diabetes, Cancer.