Oscars 2017: First-Time Nominee Spotlight1 of 18
Mahershala Ali
Mahershala Ali is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for playing Juan, a drug dealer who makes a lasting impact on the central character, in Moonlight. While Ali's first role was playing Dr. Trey Sanders on the first season of "Crossing Jordan," he most recently wowed on two different Netflix shows: first on "House of Cards" as Remy Danton, the former Chief of Staff for President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), and then as Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, a villainous nightclub owner, on "Luke Cage." In the last year, Ali also starred in another Best Picture nominee, Hidden Figures, as Colonel Jim Johnson, a military officer who marries Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson). Up next for this actor is Roxanne Roxanne, a film that revolves around the life of rapper Roxanne Shanté, due out later in 2017, and 2018’s Alita: Battle Angel, a sci-fi film based on Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita manga.
Mahershala Ali is nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for playing Juan, a drug dealer who makes a lasting impact on the central character, in Moonlight. While Ali's first role was playing Dr. Trey Sanders on the first season of "Crossing Jordan," he most recently wowed on two different Netflix shows: first on "House of Cards" as Remy Danton, the former Chief of Staff for President Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), and then as Cornell "Cottonmouth" Stokes, a villainous nightclub owner, on "Luke Cage." In the last year, Ali also starred in another Best Picture nominee, Hidden Figures, as Colonel Jim Johnson, a military officer who marries Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson). Up next for this actor is Roxanne Roxanne, a film that revolves around the life of rapper Roxanne Shanté, due out later in 2017, and 2018’s Alita: Battle Angel, a sci-fi film based on Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita manga.