Everything to Know About Jurassic World Rebirth Star Mahershala Ali
Before Jurassic World Rebirth hits theaters, get to know one of its most celebrated stars.
Like every film in the Jurassic series, Jurassic World Rebirth brings a cast of major talents into its world of dinosaur adventures. This time out, the film is led by blockbuster star Scarlett Johansson, Wicked's Jonathan Bailey, and of course, Mahershala Ali, one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation.
Ali co-stars in the film as Duncan Kincaid, the leader of the covert ops team that takes Zora Bennett (Johansson) deep into dinosaur territory to collect DNA samples that could change the world. As you watch the film, in theaters this July 4th weekend, you'll no doubt recognize Ali from numerous roles before, including everything from TV to independent dramas to blockbusters. So, before Jurassic World Rebirth hits theaters, let's take a closer look at the career of one of its biggest stars.
RELATED: Check out These Jurassic World Rebirth Popcorn Buckets
Who is Jurassic World Rebirth star Mahershala Ali?
A native of Oakland, California, Ali first became interested in acting in college. He'd attending Saint Mary's College of California on a basketball scholarship, but grew uninterested in a professional sports career and more interested in the stage. His love of acting led him to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned a Master's Degree as an actor.
From there, Ali, then still going by his full name of Mahershalalhashbaz, transitioned into screen acting, and quickly picked up recurring roles on television. In the first eight years of Ali's career, he worked on Crossing Jordan, Threat Matrix, and The 4400, picking up a lot of screen time, before finally making his feature film debut in 2008 with a role in David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
RELATED: Jurassic World Rebirth Director on Why We Love the Franchise So Much
More film and TV roles soon followed, including Ali's first major franchise role in Predators in 2010. In 2012, for The Place Beyond the Pines, he shortened his name to Mahershala Ali, and has been credited that way ever since. A key role in both parts of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay soon followed, even as Ali continued to work in TV with roles in Treme, Alphas, House of Cards, Luke Cage, and the third season of True Detective.
In 2017, after working steadily in film and TV for nearly two decades, Ali received his first Oscar nomination for his work in Moonlight, and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Just two years later, he was back on the Academy Awards stage, taking home the same award again for his work in Green Book. The win made him the first Black actor in Academy history to win two Oscars in the same category, and just the second Black actor to win more than one acting Oscar.
Now, Ali is set to join the Jurassic World franchise (now streaming on Peacock!), bringing his blend of gravitas and vulnerability to the story, as well as his experience acting in action blockbusters.
How can you watch Jurassic World Rebirth?
Jurassic World Rebirth is in theaters everywhere July 2. Get tickets now!
