With a career spanning 40 years, New York-born Tatyana Ali is a
Broadway-trained actress, singer, writer, entrepreneur, activist and
Harvard University graduate.

Ali has appeared in television, film and theatrical projects
throughout her life, including “Sesame Street,” the Pulitzer
Prize-winning Broadway production of “Fences,” the iconic comedy
series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Young and the
Restless,” Disney’s “Glory Road” and a growing collection of
holiday and dramatic films for Lifetime TV. She can currently be seen
recurring on ABC’s award-winning hit comedy series “Abbott
Elementary.” She has also produced numerous projects for television
and digital networks, including “Love That Girl!,” the first
original scripted program on the TV One Network.

A five-time NAACP Image Award winner, Ali is the founder and CEO of
Baby Yams, a quilted goods company that donates a portion of its
proceeds to support grants and scholarships for Black and Indigenous
midwives and doulas. After experiencing maternal health disparities
firsthand during the birth of her eldest, Ali became a Black maternal
health advocate, writing op-eds, speaking across the country and
testifying before the U.S. Congress.

During the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, she served as a
surrogate for President Obama, speaking to communities across the
country about voting as an imperative and working to promote the
Affordable Care Act.

She holds a gold record for her 1998 debut album “Kiss the Sky,”
which included the platinum-selling single “Daydreamin’“ and
“Boy You Knock Me Out,” and joined both the *NSYNC and Backstreet
Boys world tours. In 1999, her recording of “Precious Wings” for
“The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland” soundtrack won a GRAMMY®
Award for Best Musical Album for Children. In 2013, Ali released the
independent EP “Hello.” Her live music Christmas EP, “All I
Have,” produced by conductor Damien Sneed, is available to stream on
Spotify.

Most recently, Ali authored “Aszi and the Octopus,” a children’s
book about her son’s love of the ocean and the imaginative power of
Black joy. The book was released by Scholastic.

Ali resides in California with her husband and two sons.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
HOMETOWN: North Bellmore, New York
BIRTHDATE: Jan. 24
