Tatyana Ali

Acting

Tatyana Ali

Born 1979-01-24 · Long Island, New York, USA

Tatyana Marisol Ali (born January 24, 1979) is an American actress and singer. She's best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. At the age of four she started singing and got a taste of fame when she begged her mother to take her to an audition for Sesame Street. In 1985, as a 6-year-old, she began her acting career as a regular performer on the PBS children's educational program Sesame Street. She went on to perform in many productions in her native city, New York, including the Broadway show Fences--with James Earl Jones and, later, Billy Dee Williams--and the off-Broadway show Orfeo del Campo. When she was seven, she appeared on Star Search and won twice, receiving a four-star rating when she appeared for a second time. At age 11, she moved from New York to Los Angeles to establish her career and not long afterwords landed her breakthrough role as Ashley Banks, Will Smith's character's cousin, on the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996). While filming The Fresh Prince, she also had side projects, including guest roles in television shows such as The Cosby Show (1984), The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989) (aka The Mickey Mouse Club), Kyno's Storytime (1992), Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1990), and Foster's Field Trip (1994). Her vocal talent was featured on several episodes of Fresh Prince in later seasons, prompting the show's star Will Smith to ask her if she would seriously consider pursuing a musical career. She ultimately decided, for the time being, to continue to concentrate on her acting career. In the series' final season, however, she performed several songs, and she began to be cleaned for her musical debut, the culmination of which was her debut album Kiss The Sky in 1998. It was certified gold in early 1999, only months after its release. "Boy You Knock Me Out" featuring Will Smith—which peaked at No. 3 and is her biggest hit to date. She made an appearance on Smith's album Willennium on the track "Who Am I" with MC Lyte. 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 garnered coverage on the "What the Buzz" segment of ABC's World News Now. In January 2014, she released an EP titled Hello. Apart from her musical career, she continued to land roles in films such as The Brothers, Glory Road, and Nora's Hair Salon (and its sequel), among others. From 2009 to 2010 she produced and starred in the BET web series Buppies. She was on recurring status on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless as Roxanne from 2007 to 2013. She starred in the TV One original series Love That Girl! as Tyana (whose name was derived from Ali's given name). In 2013, she co-starred as Maya in the BET comedy Second Generation Wayans, alongside Craig Wayans and Damien Dante Wayans. In 2011, she received the Living Legacy Award from the Caribbean Heritage Organization in Los Angeles.

Acting credits

Kiss the Girls poster
6.5

Forensic psychologist and detective Alex Cross travels to North Carolina and teams with escaped kidnap victim Kate McTiernan to hunt down "Casanova," a serial killer who abducts strong-willed women and forces them to submit to his demands. The trail leads to Los Angeles, where the duo discovers that the psychopath may not be working alone.

Kiss the Girls

1997

Jawbreaker poster
6.4

When an exclusive clique of teenage socialites accidentally murder their best friend on the morning of her birthday, the three girls responsible conspire to hide the truth.

Jawbreaker

1999

Crocodile Dundee II poster
5.9

Australian outback expert protects his New York love from gangsters who've followed her down under.

Crocodile Dundee II

1988

Glory Road poster
7.4

In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.

Glory Road

2006

Brother poster
7.1

A Japanese Yakuza gangster's deadly existence in his homeland gets him exiled to Los Angeles, where he is taken in by his little brother and his brother's gang.

Brother

2000

Eddie Murphy Raw poster
7.3

Eddie Murphy delights, shocks and entertains with dead-on celebrity impersonations, observations on '80s love, sex and marriage, a remembrance of Mom's hamburgers and much more.

Eddie Murphy Raw

1987

Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? poster
NR

Vietnam veteran Allen Nelson returns with severe PTSD, winding up on the streets before crossing paths with Dr. Daniels of the Veterans Affairs who sets about trying to help him.

Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?

2026

Mother and Child poster
6.6

The lives of three women have a commonality: adoption. Karen is a physical therapist who regrets that, as a teenager, she gave up her daughter for adoption. Elizabeth was an adopted child and is now a successful lawyer, but her personal life lacks warmth. Lucy and her husband have failed to conceive and now hope to adopt a baby to make their family complete.

Mother and Child

2009

National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze poster
5.1

When a foreign-exchange student and a hooker - both named Dominique - show up on a college campus, the unsuspecting student body is in for the education of a lifetime!

National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze

2003

Doe poster
5.4

John is a brilliant linguistic scientist with a loving wife and daughter but with a massive gap in his life. Eight years ago, he turned up out of nowhere, with no memories except a recurring dream. He is sent tumbling down the proverbial rabbit hole after meeting a man that shares a similar condition and learning that there are more like him, all amnesiacs with extraordinary abilities. He convinces his brother-in-law, private investigator Carl, to help him uncover his true identity before his past can rise up to destroy him and his family.

Doe

2018

Jingle Belle poster
5.9

Every year, Isabelle (Tatyana Ali) and her high school sweetheart Mike (Cornelius Smith Jr.), rocked their small town’s annual Christmas Eve Pageant with a sweet Christmas duet. But after graduation, Isabelle left to study at Juillard in New York – leaving Mike behind. Years later, when Isabelle returns to her hometown to write music for the annual Christmas Eve Pageant, she is shocked to learn that Mike is the one directing the show. Can Isabelle and Mike put the past behind them and reunite on stage for another show-stopping duet?

Jingle Belle

2018

Pete Smalls Is Dead poster
4.6

Two old pals attend an old friends funeral and find there is more to his death than him being dead.

Pete Smalls Is Dead

2010

Second Sight poster
10.0

Cursed with horrifying visions of the future, Tatyana Ali stars as a woman looking to save a kidnapped girl in this TV One original movie.

Second Sight

2016

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion poster
8.1

Join Will Smith, Tatyana Ali, Karyn Parsons, Joseph Marcell, Daphne Maxwell Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro and DJ Jazzy Jeff, for a funny and heartfelt night full of music and dancing in honor of the show that ran for six seasons and 148 episodes.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion

2020

The Brothers poster
6.6

This is the story of four African-American "yuppies" (a banker, a doctor, a lawyer, and a "playboy") who call themselves "The Brothers". When the playboy gets engaged, the other three friends find themselves having to come to terms with their own issues of commitment and honesty...

The Brothers

2001

Light Girls poster
10.0

From the creator and director of the critically acclaimed documentary Dark Girls, award-winning filmmaker Bill Duke continues the conversation on colorism with Light Girls. Sharing the untold stories and experiences of lighter-skinned women, Light Girls dives deep into the discussion of skin color, preference, privilege, pain and prejudice. The documentary features interviews with Russell Simmons, Soledad O'Brien, Diahann Carroll, India Arie, Iyanla Vanzant, Michaela Angela Davis, Kym Whitley, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and more.

Light Girls

2015

Locker 13 poster
5.7

The story of Skip, a young ex-convict who takes a position as a night janitor at an old-west theme park. His supervisor Archie, teaches him the ropes, but more importantly attempts to convey critical philosophical messages through a series of four stories: a down and out boxer is given the opportunity to become a real golden gloves killer; an assassin kidnaps three people in order to find out who hired him for his latest hit; a new recruit is initiated into a lodge of fez-wearing businessmen where hazing can take a malevolent turn; and a member of a suicide club introduces real fear into a man about to jump to his death.

Locker 13

2014

Wrapped Up In Christmas poster
6.8

With Christmas just around the corner, 8-year-old Molly asks the mall Santa to find a boyfriend for her beloved aunt.

Wrapped Up In Christmas

2017

Kidz in the Wood poster
5.2

A class field trip to the Oregon Trail that results in the class and teacher getting lost.

Kidz in the Wood

1996

Fall into Darkness poster
6.3

Teenager Ann resents the arrival of Sharon and the fact that her brother Jerry has a crush on the newcomer. When Jerry dies in an accident, Ann blames Sharon and frames her for another death.

Fall into Darkness

1996

Christmas Hotel poster
6.2

A big city hotelier's boss informs her that she will receive a promotion if she can pull off a major project.

Christmas Hotel

2019

Back in the Day poster
5.2

A young man slides back into a life of crime after reuniting with a shady acquaintance from his past.

Back in the Day

2005

Scenes by the Sea: Takeshi Kitano poster
8.0

First major English-language documentary profile of the cult Japanese actor/director, Takeshi Kitano. Featuring interviews with many of his regular contributors and colleagues, the film explores Kitano's rise from working-class poverty to superstar of Japanese radio, TV, comedy and journalism, and follows the making of his US-Japanese gangster film, 'Brother'.

Scenes by the Sea: Takeshi Kitano

2000

November Rule poster
5.6

Up-and-coming sports shoe entrepreneur Steve, who is still reeling from the death of his dad, has made a "November rule" in order to keep his distance from the women who seem to be getting too serious about their relationship. Every November 1st, Steve makes up a whopping lie in order to break up with his current girlfriend. However, this year, when he gives the beautiful Leah her walking papers, he realizes his immature and arbitrary rule has just lost him the woman of his dreams. But whether he can win Leah back seems increasingly doubtful, especially after she starts dating pro sports star, James Avedon.

November Rule

2015