Tatyana Ali was basically raised on film and TV units, however her greatest break was starring as Ashley Banks on The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air for the whole lot of the collection’ run. Along with performing, the younger star recorded music, on the prompting of co-star Will Smith himself, who seen that she had some actual vocal chops that had been additionally featured on the present in later seasons. Ali had a handful of singles hit the Billboard charts within the late Nineteen Nineties, together with “Daydreaming” and “Boy You Knock Me Out.” It has been 26 years for the reason that household sitcom that made her an enormous title went off the air; learn on to see what Ali is to date.
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Previous to profitable the position of Ashley, Ali had performed a handful of small roles, together with showing on an episode of The Cosby Present. Throughout the run of The Contemporary Prince, she additionally made time for different initiatives, which included guest-starring on Getting By and Are You Afraid of the Darkish? Simply 17 when the sitcom finale aired, the actor went on to many extra onscreen gigs. A few of the movies she’s acted in are Kiss the Ladies, Jawbreaker, and Glory Highway, whereas her post-Prince TV profession consists of roles in The Younger and the Stressed (she recurred as Roxanne from 2007 to 2013), Love That Lady!, and Key & Peele. She’s additionally appeared in a number of TV motion pictures, together with this yr’s Vanished: Trying to find My Sister. And since 2018, she’s voiced Mrs. James on the Disney Junior animated collection, Fancy Nancy.
As for music, Ali solely launched the one studio album, 1998’s Kiss the Sky, however in 2014, launched an EP titled Hiya.
Along with being an actor and singer, Ali can also be an educational. She attended Harvard College, the place she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in African-American Research and Authorities, graduating in 2002. She met her husband, Vaughn Rasberry, an English professor at Stanford College, on the net courting service, eHarmony. “I used to be about to let my subscription cancel out, and poof, my husband appeared,” Ali instructed Steve Harvey on his speak present in 2017.
The couple married in 2016 and have two youngsters collectively: Edward, who was born simply after they tied the knot, and Alejandro, who was born in 2020, per Essence.
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The HBO Max Contemporary Prince reunion introduced the solid again collectively in 2020, and the chemistry among the many co-stars was as robust as ever. Ali instructed Attract, “After the reunion, we’re all on a gaggle textual content, in order that’s actually enjoyable. We had been having a lot enjoyable on the reunion. They simply filmed us speaking for 2 days straight.” She’s additionally humbled that followers nonetheless love the present a lot, including, “One thing that meant a lot to us personally for all these years nonetheless means one thing to folks? It is a reward of a lifetime.”
Ali celebrated the Contemporary Prince legacy and met again up together with her TV household once more in 2022 when she attended the premiere of the dramatic Peacock reboot of the present, Bel-Air.
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Ali clearly has her palms full with work and household, however that does not cease her from utilizing her platform to advocate for girls. On Instagram, she posts typically about midwifery, reproductive well being, and maternal well being, particularly that of Black ladies. She’s additionally spoken on panels at conferences to speak concerning the topic, because it’s clearly one very near her coronary heart.