Tatyana Ali

Not to be confused with Tabyana Ali.

Tatyana Ali
Ali in 2012
Born	Tatyana Marisol Ali (1979-01-24) January 24, 1979 (age 45) North Bellmore, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University (BA)
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	1987–present
Spouse	Vaughn Rasberry ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	R&B
Labels	MJJ Work Group

Tatyana Marisol Ali (born January 24, 1979) is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from 1990 to 1996. She starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original series Love That Girl!, and played a recurring role as Roxanne on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2007 to 2013. In 2023, she starred in Giving Hope: The Ni'Cola Mitchell Story on Lifetime.

Early life

Tatyana Ali was born on January 24, 1979,^[1] in North Bellmore, New York.^[2] She is of mixed African and South Asian ancestry or Dougla, born to an Indo-Trinidadian father and an Afro-Panamanian mother.^[3]

Career

In 1985, six-year-old Ali began her acting career as a regular performer on the PBS children's educational program Sesame Street. Her tenure included an appearance with jazz great Herbie Hancock, who demonstrated his Fairlight CMI synthesizer using a sample of Ali's voice. She also appeared in two episodes of Star Search, one of which featured her performance of a cover of Marvin Gaye's and Tammi Terrell's hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

She made her breakthrough in 1990 when she was cast as Ashley Banks on the NBC television sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a role she played throughout the series' entire run, from 1990 to 1996.

Ali's 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, Ali 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, and spawned the Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins-produced hit single "Daydreamin'", released July 21, 1998, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also appeared on the UK Singles Chart. The album spawned two further UK hits, "Boy You Knock Me Out" featuring Will Smith — which peaked at No. 3 and is her biggest hit to date — and "Everytime", which was her third top-20 hit in the UK, peaking at No. 20. She made an appearance on Smith's album Willennium on the track "Who Am I" with MC Lyte. She performed the title song "Sunny Valentine" along with Terrence Quaites for the indie film Rockin' Meera in 2005. 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, Ali released an EP titled Hello, whose first single was "Wait For It", which she performed on The Arsenio Hall Show on February 4, 2014.

Apart from her musical career, Ali 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. Ali 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, Ali received the Living Legacy Award from the Caribbean Heritage Organization in Los Angeles.^[4][5]

In July 2016, Ali sued Warner Bros., claiming that the company stole her idea for the show The Real, after she pitched the concept in December 2012.^[6] The case was dismissed in February 2017.^[7]

Personal life

She dated actor Jonathan Brandis from 1995 to 1998.^[8]

Ali graduated from The Buckley School in 1997. Ali attended Harvard University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Studies and Government in 2002.^[9] On a celebrity edition of the game show The Chase, which aired February 3, 2015, Ali stated that her major was political science.

She traveled the United States as a spokesperson for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, and headed voter registration drives at college campuses.^[10][11]

In March 2016, Ali revealed that she was engaged to Vaughn Rasberry, an assistant professor of English at Stanford University, whom she had met on eHarmony,^[12] and they announced that they were expecting their first child.^[13] She and Rasberry married on July 17, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California.^[14][15] The couple have two sons.^[16][17] Rasberry has since become an associate professor and associate vice provost for graduate education at Stanford.^[18]

Ali is an honorary member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; she was inducted on July 27, 2024 at the sorority's Boulé in Indianapolis, Indiana. ^[19]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987	Eddie Murphy Raw	Eddie's Sister
1988	Crocodile Dundee II	Park Girl
	Wow, You're a Cartoonist!	Child Cartoonist	Video
1996	Kidz in the Wood	Rita	TV movie
	Fall Into Darkness	Sharon McKay	TV movie
1997	Kiss the Girls	Janell Cross
	Fakin' da Funk	Karyn
1998	The Clown at Midnight	Monica
1999	Jawbreaker	Brenda
2000	Brother	Latifa
2001	The Brothers	Cherie Smith
2003	National Lampoon Presents Dorm Daze	Claire
2004	Nora's Hair Salon	Lilleana
2005	Domino One	Laeticia Richards
	Back in the Day	Alicia Packer
2006	Glory Road	Tina Malichi
	A Warm Place	Clair Andrews	Short
2007	The List	Cynthia
2008	Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above	Lilleana
	Hotel California	Jessie
2009	Mother and Child	Maria
2010	Pete Smalls Is Dead	Cocktail Waitress
	Privileged	Talia	Video
2011	Geo n Rat	Det. Erica Anderson	Short
	23rd Psalm: Redemption	Stacey Wayne
2012	Dysfunctional Friends	Alex
	Home Again	Marva Johnson
2013	24 Hour Love	Simply
	The Last Letter	Jillian
	Dear Secret Santa	Jennifer	TV movie
	A Very Larry Christmas	Nicole
2014	The Divorce	Victoria
	The Black Bachelor	Herself	Short
	Locker 13	Lucy
	Comeback Dad	Nima
2015	Save for Now	Woman	Short
	November Rule	Leah
	Fatal Flip	Roslyn	TV movie
	Supermodel	Lauren
	Teachers	Ms. Faith Mayfield	Short
2016	Second Sight	Clara	TV movie
	Samaria	Audrey	Short
2017	Nanny's Nightmare	Monica Thorne	TV movie
	Graham: A Dog's Story	Stella	Short
	Wrapped Up in Christmas	Heather Nash	TV movie
2018	Doe	Rachel
	Christmas Everlasting	Lucy	TV movie
	Jingle Belle	Belle Williams	TV movie; also producer
2019	College Dating App	Professor Savoy	TV movie
	Christmas Hotel	Erin	TV movie; also producer
2020	The Reason	Macey
2021	A Picture Perfect Holiday	Gaby	TV movie
2022	Vanished: Searching for My Sister	Jada/Kayla	TV movie
	It Snows All the Time	Technologist
2023	Giving Hope: The Ni'Cola Mitchell Story	Ni'cola Mitchell	TV movie
	The Holiday Proposal Plan	Sonny Kravitz	TV movie

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1984–97	Sesame Street	Tatyana	Guest: Seasons 16 & 18–19 & 23 & 28, Recurring Cast: Season 17 & 21
1987	Star Search	Herself/Contestant	Contestant: Season 5
1989	A Man Called Hawk	Michelle	Episode: "Life After Death"
	The Cosby Show	Girl	Episode: "Shall We Dance?"
1990–96	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air	Ashley Banks	Main Cast
1992	Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?	Herself	Episode: "Episode #2.1" & "#2.45"
1993	Getting By	Nicole Alexander/Vanessa	Guest Cast: Seasons 1–2
1994	Are You Afraid of the Dark?	Laura/Connie	Episode: "The Tale of the Quicksilver"
1995	Soul Train	Herself/Guest Host	Episode: "KRS-One/Dehorah Cox/Shaggy"
	In the House	Ashley Banks	Episode: "Dog Catchers"
1996	Living Single	Stephanie James	Episode: "Whatever Happened to Baby Sister?"
1997	413 Hope St.	Kai	Episode: "Heartbeat"
1998	All That	Herself	Episode: "Tatyana Ali"
1999	Live & Kicking	Herself	Episode: "Episode #6.17" & "#6.19"
	The Pop Zone	Herself	Episode: "Episode #2.5"
2002	Fastlane	Shelly	Episode: "Girls Own Juice"
2003	Half & Half	Olivia	Episode: "The Big Condom-nation Episode"
2005	The Greatest	Herself	Episode: "100 Greatest Kid Stars"
2006	Child Star Confidential	Herself	Episode: "Primetime Princess"
2007	Boulevard of Broken Dreams	Herself	Episode: "Jonathan Brandis"
	On the Lot	Herself	Episode: "First Sight"
	E! True Hollywood Story	Herself	Episode: "Will Smith"
2007–13	The Young and the Restless	Roxanne	Regular Cast
2009	Catch 21	Herself/Contestant	Episode: "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"
2009–10	Buppies	Quinci	Main Cast; also executive producer
2010	Running Russell Simmons	Herself	Episode: "You Only Live Once"
2010–12	Love That Girl!	Tyana Jones	Main Cast: Seasons 1–3; also producer
2011	Unsung	Herself	Episode: "Deniece Williams"
	Pastport	Herself	Episode: "Panama"
2013	Anderson Live	Herself/Co-Host	Episode: "Episode #2.82"
	Second Generation Wayans	Maya	Main Cast
2014	The Daily Helpline	Herself/Co-Host	Episode: "Tatyana Ali"
2015	The Chase	Herself/Contestant	Episode: "Episode #5.2"
	Key & Peele	Heresa	Episode: "Hollywood Sequel Doctor"
2016	Zoe Ever After	Ashley King	Recurring Cast
2017	90's House	Herself	Episode: "The One With the Big Finale"
	American Koko	N'Shay	Episode: "The Stig"
2018	Hollywood Darlings	Tatyana	Episode: "Big White Lies"
	The Bobby Brown Story	Sarah Flint	Episode: "Part One"
2018–22	Fancy Nancy	Mrs. James (voice)	Recurring Cast: Seasons 1–2, Guest: Season 3
2020	Entertainment Tonight	Herself/Guest Co-Host	Episode: "Episode #40.58"
2022	Wheel of Fortune	Herself/Celebrity Contestant	Episode: "Curtis Stone, Haley Joel Osment and Tatyana Ali"
	RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race	Herself/Chakra 7	Contestant: Season 2
2023	See It Loud: The History of Black Television	Herself	Episode: "Keeping It Real"
	Bel-Air	Mrs. Hughes	Recurring Cast: Season 2
2024	Perimeter	Connie Dawn	Main Cast
	Abbott Elementary	Krystal	Episode: "Panel" & "Smith Playground"[20]
	After Midnight	Herself	Guest Appearance, Episode: June 3, 2024

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US [21]	US R&B [22]	UK [23]	UK R&B [24]
Kiss the Sky	Released: August 25, 1998 Formats: CD, cassette Label: Work Group	106	47	41	6
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Extended plays

List of extended plays, with selected chart positions

Title	Album details
Hello[25]	Released: January 21, 2014 Formats: CD, digital download Label: Self-released
All I Have[26]	Released: December 1, 2023 Formats: Streaming Label: Self-released

Singles

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications

Title	Year	Peak chart positions									Certifications	Album
		US [27]	US R&B [28]	BEL [29]	FRA [30]	IRL [31]	NL [32]	NZ [33]	UK [23]	UK R&B [34]
"Daydreamin'"	1998	6	5	—	—	—	—	3	6	3	RIAA: Gold[35] RMNZ: Gold[36]	Kiss the Sky
"Boy You Knock Me Out" (featuring Will Smith)		—	68	56	32	19	77	12	3	1	RMNZ: Gold[36] BPI: Silver[37]
"Everytime"	1999	—	73	—	—	—	—	—	20	4
"Wait for It"[38]	2014	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Hello
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Other appearances

Title	Year	Other Artist(s)	Album
"Love The Way You Love Me"	1999	—	More!
"Precious Wings"			The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland[39]
"Who Am I"		Will Smith and MC Lyte	Willennium
"Getting Closer"		Kel Spencer	Wild Wild West
"Candy Girl"	2007	Kanary Diamonds	Puro Fuego[40]
"Wanna Groove"	2009	Inverse	So Far[41]
"Move It, Shake It"		Just Matter and Nieve	Love N' Dancing[42]
"Bathtub Gin"		The Cherokee Rhythm Section
"Joy to the World"	2013	—	Dear Secret Santa[43]
"Kiss the Sky"	2015		The Legacy of R&B Slow Jamz
"He Loves Me"	2016		The Legacy of Nu Soul
"Ghost Town"	2017		Music to Inspire[44]
"U Can Call (Jossy Remix)"	2022	2pac	Youtube Release[45]

Awards and nominations

Caribbean Heritage Organization

• 2011: Recipient, Living Legacy Award^[4][5]

NAACP Image Awards

• 1996: Won, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• 1997: Nominated, Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• 2010: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama – The Young and the Restless
• 2011: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – Love That Girl!
• 2011: Won, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama – The Young and the Restless
• 2012: Won, Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama – The Young and the Restless
• 2012: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – Love That Girl!
• 2013: Nominated, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – Love That Girl!^[46]

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

• 1996: Nominated, Favorite Television Actress – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Young Artist Awards

• 1991: Won, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air^{[citation needed]}
• 1992: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• 1993: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• 1994: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• 1995: Nominated, Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series – Name Your Adventure

References

1. Rose, Mike (January 24, 2023). "Today's famous birthdays list for January 24, 2023 includes celebrities Neil Diamond, Aaron Neville". Cleveland.com. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
2. Vasquez, Whitney (May 22, 2019). "Will Smith's 'Aladdin' Premiere Transforms Hollywood Into One Big Arabian Night". Yahoo! Entertainment. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
3. "Happy Birthday, Tatyana Ali". People Magazine. January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
4. Ofole-Prince, Samantha (August–September 2011). Wheaton, Robert (ed.). "The talented Ms. Ali:an interview with Tatyana". CaribPress Newsmagazine. Los Angeles: 5. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
5. Wheaton, Robert (August–September 2011). Wheaton, Robert (ed.). "Caribbean Heritage Salute in Hollywood". CaribPress Newsmagazine. Los Angeles: 21. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
6. Pedersen, Erik (July 16, 2016). "'Fresh Prince' Actress Sues Warner Bros Claiming It Used Her Idea For 'The Real'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
7. Evans, Greg (February 24, 2017). "Court Tosses Tatyana Ali Lawsuit Claiming 'The Real' Was Her Idea". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017.
8. Jewel, Dan (July 8, 1996). "Young Love". People. Archived from the original on December 7, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
9. "Tatyana Ali Shares Her Black Experience at Harvard University". BET. December 12, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
10. "Tatyana Ali wants young people to know their voice counts". 9news.com. August 8, 2008. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
11. Baker, Mike (April 9, 2008). "NC Voter Registrations Surge". seattletimes.com. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
12. Drysdale, Jennifer (April 13, 2019). "'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' Star Tatyana Ali Pregnant With Baby No. 2". ETOnline. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
13. Harrison, Lily (April 1, 2016). "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Tatyana Ali Reveals She's Engaged—and Pregnant". E! Entertainment Television.
14. Dugan, Christina (July 17, 2016). "Tatyana Ali Marries Dr. Vaughn Rasberry". People.com. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
15. Hautman, Nicholas (July 17, 2016). "Tatyana Ali Marries Vaughn Rasberry". Us Magazine. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
16. "Tatyana Ali Welcomes Son Edward". People.com. September 23, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
17. Cronin, Colleen (October 2, 2019). "Tatyana Ali Welcomes Second Son Alejandro". People.com. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
18. "Vaughn Rasberry named associate vice provost for graduate education". Stanford University. April 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
19. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated Announces Newest Class of Honorary Members
20. Scanlon, Claire (March 20, 2024). "Panel". IMDb. Abbott Elementary. Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Chris Perfetti. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
21. "Billboard Chart History: Tatyana Ali". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
22. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Tatyana Ali". Billboard. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
23. "UK Charts – Tatyana Ali". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
24. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40: 14 February 1999 – 20 February 1999". Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40 Archive. Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
25. "Hello by Tatyana Ali". iTunes. January 21, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
26. "All I Have by Tatyana Ali". Spotify. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
27. "Tatyana Ali Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
28. "Tatyana Ali Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
29. "Belgium Charts – Tatyana Ali". Ultratop. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
30. Steffen Hung (March 13, 1999). "Les charts français". lescharts.com. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
31. "Search the Charts: Tatyana Ali". The Irish Charts. Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
32. Steffen Hung. "– Dutch charts portal". Dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
33. Steffen Hung. "– New Zealand charts portal". charts.nz. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
34. • "Daydreamin'": "15 November 1998 – 21 November 1998". Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40 Archive. Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
    • "Boy You Knock Me Out": "07 February 1999 – 12 February 1999". Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40 Archive. Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
    • "Everytime": "13 June 1999 – 19 June 1999". Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40 Archive. Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
35. "US certifications: Tatyana Ali". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
36. Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts: 1966–2006. Wellington: Dean Scapolo and Maurienne House. ISBN 978-1877443-00-8.
37. "Search Results: Tatyana Ali". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
38. "Wait for It by Tatyana Ali". iTunes. January 21, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
39. "The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland". iTunes. January 1999. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
40. "Kanary Diamonds". iTunes. January 2007. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
41. "So Far – the Collection". iTunes. July 6, 2009. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
42. "Love N' Dancing (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. May 8, 2009. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
43. "Dear Secret Santa Soundtrack". iTunes. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
44. "Music to Inspire: Artists UNited Against Human Trafficking". iTunes. January 27, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
45. "2pac ft. Tatyana Ali – U Can Call (Jossy OG Vibe Remix 2022)". YouTube. December 4, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
46. "44th NAACP Image Awards Full List of Nominees" (PDF). NAACP. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 19, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2012.

External links

• Tatyana Ali on Facebook
• Tatyana Ali at IMDb