With a career spanning 40 years, NY born Tatyana Ali is a Broadway-trained actress, singer, writer, producer, 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. The 5-time NAACP Image Award winner, Harvard Aspiring Minority Business Leader and Black Girls Rock! honoree, was named one of most beautiful women in the world by People Magazine en Español and People Magazine.
She holds a gold record for her 1998 debut album Kiss the Sky, which included the hit singles “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”.
She has produced numerous projects for television and digital networks including “Love That Girl!”, the first original scripted program on the TV One Network.
Ali has spent most of her life as an advocate engaging in humanitarian and policy efforts. A recipient of the Humanitarian and Arts award from the Western Poverty Law Center in 2022, she works to advance Black maternal health and reproductive justice and published an op-ed in Essence magazine entitled “Birthright”. 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 worked to promote the Affordable Care Act.
She is actively involved in Black Girl’s Rock!, an organization dedicated to mentoring black girls and currently serves as a board member of Hedgebrook, a retreat work space that nurtures women identified writers. She is also a mentor for Scholastic’s Rising Voices literature collection, grades k-5. She travels across the country to ensure our children have access to representative and engaging stories in the classroom.
Tatyana resides in California with her husband and two sons.
