Date of Birth : Jan 24th 1979
American actress and R&B singer, perhaps best known for her role as Ashley Banks in the The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Ali was born in Long Island, New York, daughter of Sonia, a nurse, and Sheriff Ali, a police detective. Her mother is a native of Panama and her father is of Indian descent from Trinidad and Tobago. She has two younger sisters, Anastasia and Kimberly. She is fluent in both English and Spanish.
She attended Marymount High School in West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, and The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. In 2002, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Harvard University.
By the age of four, Ali had begun her singing career. She also appeared with Herbie Hancock on an episode of Sesame Street. By age seven, she won the Star Search television contest two times. Her breakthrough came when she was cast as Ashley Banks for the popular television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She sang on various episodes of the show. On one of the shows Ali sings Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” and the original song “Make Up Your Mind”, Will Smith asked her if she seriously considered pursuing a musical career. Despite her singing ability, she concentrated on her acting career on Fresh Prince the next few years. Ali was said to be closest to her co-star Janet Hubert-Whitten.
CAREER
Mother And Child ( 2010 )
The Brothers ( 2001 )
Brother ( 2001 )
Jawbreaker ( 1999 )
Kiss the Girls ( 1998 )
Crocodile Dundee II ( 1988 )