Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress, model and R&B singer, best known for her childhood
role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
Since January 2010, she has starred as Tyana Jones on the TV One original sitcom Love That
Girl!, and has had a recurring role as Roxanne on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless.
Early life Tatyana Ali is the eldest daughter of an Afro-Panamanian
mother and an Indo-Trinidadian father.
Career By the age of six, she had begun her acting
career, as a regular child performer on Sesame Street starting in 1985, even appearing with
Herbie Hancock in a musical number.
She also appeared twice on Star Search.
She made her breakthrough when she was cast as Ashley Banks for the television sitcom
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990.
She sang on various episodes of the show, including a heavily altered version of Aretha
Franklin's "Respect" and the original song, "Make Up Your Mind" produced by Robert Jerald
of N'Spyre Music Productions.
Will Smith asked her if she seriously considered pursuing a musical career.
Despite her singing ability, she concentrated on her acting career on The Fresh Prince of
Bel-Air the next few years.
In the final season of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Ali began preparing herself for her
musical debut.
The result was the album Kiss The Sky, which was certified gold in early 1999.
The album spawned the hit song "Daydreamin'", released July 21, 1998, produced by Rodney
"Darkchild" Jerkins, which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 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 in Smith's album Willennium for the track "Who Am I" with MC Lyte.
Along with her musical career, Ali kept acting in many films.
She had the chance to work with recognized film directors such as Takeshi Kitano, Rodrigo
Garcia, among others.
In 2005, she completed work on the film Glory Road and starred in the music video for Nick
Cannon and Anthony Hamilton's "Can I Live?" as Cannon's mother.
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 gained coverage on the "What the
Buzz" segment of ABC's World News Now.
She also performed the title song, "Sunny Valentine" along with Terrence Quaites for
the indie film, Rockin' Meera directed by Param Gill in 2005.
She is also producing and starring in the BET web show, Buppies.
She is currently on recurring status on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless
as Roxanne.
Ali can be seen in the show, Love That Girl! on TV One.
She stars as Tyana.
When asked if the character bears any similarities to her, Ali said in a CaribPress interview,
"She's a bit neurotic and I hope I am not quite like that."
"One thing that I do love about her is that she is really multidimensional," she went
on to say in the same interview.
"I think it's nice to have a female character that is portrayed in really holistic way."
Ali also starred in Nora's Hair Salon and Nora's Hair Salon 2: A Cut Above.
In 2011, Ali received the Living Legacy Award from the Caribbean Heritage Organization in
Los Angeles.
In 2012, Ali appeared as a guest on The Eric Andre Show.
Ali's most recent role, as of January 15, 2013, is starring as Maya, along with Craig
Wayans and Damien Dante Wayans, in the BET comedy, Second Generation Wayans.
In January 2014, Ali released a new EP entitled Hello, with her first single being "Wait For
It", which she also performed on The Arsenio Hall Show on February 4, 2014.
Personal life Ali attended Harvard University where she
received a bachelor's degree in African-American studies and government in 2002.
She traveled the United States as a spokesperson for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign
and headed voter registration drives at college campuses.
In 2012, she continued showing her support.
Ali was in a relationship with actor, Jonathan Brandis, for nearly six years.
Filmography Film
Television Discography
Albums Singles
Awards and nominations 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!
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 1996: Nominated, "Favorite Television Actress"
– The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Young Artist Award
1991: Won, "Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Series" – The Fresh Prince
of Bel-Air 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"
YoungStar Award 1997: Won, "Best Performance by a Young Actress
in a Comedy TV Series" – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Caribbean Heritage Organization 2011: Recipient, Living Legacy Award
References
External links Tatyana Ali at the Internet Movie Database
Tatyana Ali at AllMovie Tatyana Ali discography at MusicBrainz